Planting Seeds for Change

From the CEO - Joel Zarrow, Ph.D.

It's spring! For many people, that means cleaning. Here at CLI, we are gearing up for our annual Spring Planning Week which brings staff together at our Philadelphia headquarters to share ideas and feedback and set goals for the next school year.

In the classroom, spring cleaning is a great opportunity to implement one of CLI's key elements of positive classroom culture: The Power of Three, which teaches children to take care of themselves, each other, and their school. You can check out some tips for spring cleaning your classroom on CLI's blog.

CLI is also hard at work on updates to Blueprint, our pre-K curriculum. We are proud and excited about the positive outcomes we are seeing in classrooms using the early literacy component of the comprehensive curriculum we are developing. Learn more by reading the latest report on our pilot testing. Working in pre-K gives CLI the chance to plant the seeds of literacy even earlier, so children enter kindergarten fully equipped to learn - a chance that would not be possible without you. Together, we make a difference.

Happy reading!

Picturing Diversity

Books are the heart of CLI's program. CLI believes that classrooms must contain books that are both windows into the world and mirrors in which students can see themselves. Did you know that only 28% of children's books contain multicultural content? That's why it's so important to curate book collections with intention, to ensure they reflect the world in which we live.

ALMA AND HOW SHE GOT HER NAME - JUAN MARTINEZ-NEAL

This year's Youth Media Awards honored some outstanding picture books featuring diverse children and communities. CLI's book curator selected a few of her favorites to share: 2019 Youth Media Awards Honor Diverse Picture Books.

Literacy Champion: Christina Saxton

Your support of CLI helps teachers become the best they can be through coaches who help them grow and develop their teaching. Check out a day in the life of CLI professional developer Christina Saxton, who is Coaching for Change.

Investing in Teachers & Improving Early Literacy for 30 Years:
CLI 2018 Annual Report

Because of donors like you, CLI reached more than 73,000 students and helped improve the instruction of more than 5,000 educators last year. Get to know some of the special students who have discovered the joy of reading, and learn more about CLI's three decades of empowering students to reach their full potential, in our latest Annual Report.

You can also learn more about CLI's rich 30-year history and growth from one librarian in Philadelphia to a national nonprofit organization on our website.

Recognizing Amazing Women

Women's History Month has come to an end, but the time is always right to celebrate history-making women with great literature. From mathematician Katherine Johnson to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, CLI's Women's History Month Book Collection is made up of nonfiction picture books that showcase remarkable achievements made by women in science, government, writing, and more. Check out the full collection.

CLI Classrooms Welcome Spring

One of the 10 themes of CLI's Blueprint for Early Literacy curriculum is Seasons. Here, students in a CLI pre-K classroom in Elizabeth, New Jersey, learn about "Wonderful Worms" with some firsthand research.

Gratitude Corner

CLI recognizes the following generous major donors for their recent contributions.

The A.D. Henderson Foundation
Richard Berkman and Toni Seidl
Claire Black
Robert Boser
Bryn Mawr Trust Co.
C. Eugene Ireland Foundation
Daniel Doran
Richard Gluck
Cory Haines
James Hasenmayer
Lynn Hollyn
Intellicents Inc.
J Turner Research
William T. Josem
The Junior League of Houston
Le Warres Charitable Fund
Lori and Mark Fife Foundation
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Nubro, Inc.
Pew Charitable Trusts
Susan and Tom Smith

Sandra and James St. George
Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation
TisBest Philanthropy
Robin Toblin
UPMC Health Benefits
William Penn Foundation