Children’s Literacy Initiative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit working with pre-k through 5th grade teachers to improve early literacy instruction so that children become powerful readers, writers, and thinkers.
Our goal is to close the literacy achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers.
We Coach Teachers
One-on-one and in small groups in the classroom – providing demonstrations and feedback that help teachers incorporate effective literacy practices into their daily work with students.

We Stock Classrooms
We provide curated collections of high-quality children’s literature and a variety of other learning materials important to successful literacy instruction.

We Provide Workshops & Seminars
to build teacher’s knowledge of literacy content and pedagogy. We also extend our services with online professional development resources.
Charity Navigator
We've received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, which means we're accountable, transparent, and financially healthy!
Library of Congress
CLI was awarded the 2017 David M. Rubenstein Prize, the top honor in the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program for making an outstanding and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels.
i3 Validation Grant
CLI received the highly prestigious Dept. of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant to implement its early-childhood literacy program with kindergarten through second grade teachers.
GuideStar
Sound fiscal management and a commitment to accountability and transparency have earned CLI a Gold Participant rating.
UPenn
UPenn's Center for High-Impact Philanthropy identified CLI as on organization where charitable dollars can do the most good.
i3 Scale-Up Grant
As the single highest rated applicant CLI was awarded its second grant from the Dept. of Education to expand its work into an additional 4 urban school districts.
Learning to read is a strong predictor of a student’s future academic achievement.
A teacher’s literacy instruction plays the most critical role in a student’s reading development, but many teachers fail to receive adequate training in this area.
By helping educators learn high-impact instructional strategies and nurturing dynamic professional learning communities, CLI builds lasting capacity in teachers and principals over time.
CLI works with district partners to create sustainable organizational processes that continue the trajectory of improvement in schools. Building a teacher’s instructional expertise impacts student learning over the course of a teacher’s career.
