One of the greatest gifts literacy provides children is the ability to experience and explore new worlds, cultures, and ideas – all within the pages of a book. Matilda Bray, a 12-year-old student at Sol Feinstone Elementary in Newtown, Pa., knows this firsthand. “You can be whoever you want to in writing,” Matilda told Children’s Literacy Initiative. After a school …
CLI Among Top i3 Evaluations
Children’s Literacy Initiative is proud to announce that a new report from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) includes CLI among projects that have positive impacts on teacher practice and student outcomes. The report confirmed that CLI’s Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation intervention met the short-term and long-term goals of i3, including conducting a strong evaluation that produced high-quality data …
Children’s Literacy Initiative & Phillips 66 Help Elizabeth Preschoolers Learn to Read
ELIZABETH, N.J. MARCH 12, 2018 The national non-profit organization Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) and Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery, in Linden, N.J., are helping local four-year-olds learn to read by bringing high-quality early literacy instruction and rich children’s book collections to eight Elizabeth Public Schools’ prekindergarten (Pre-K) classrooms. Advised by Bayway Refinery managers, Phillips 66 recently donated $35,000 to deliver CLI’s …
Bringing Literacy Home
A literacy rich home not only shows children the value of reading writing it also encourages them to do it themselves. With kids frequently indoors during this time of year, why not take this opportunity to create a Literacy rich home. Here are four tips to help make your home literacy rich. Honor books Children should feel that having a …
Are You a Writer?
I recently visited a second grade classroom to sit in on their Writing Workshop. After the mini-lesson, the children settled into their writing spots and I took the opportunity to hone my conferring skills. I found Crystal nestled on a giant pillow in the library area. I sat down and introduced myself and asked what she was working on. She …
Teachers at Play
There’s something really special about jumping into the imaginary world of the children in your care. But finding the balance between supporting children’s play while giving them ownership of their experiences can be tricky. Try this strategy called “Yes, and…” as one method for jumping into the imaginary play of children. As an idea is expressed, show that you hear …
School Districts are Critical Partners
School districts are critical partners for Children’s Literacy Initiative, as demonstrated in the successful launch of our Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-up project in four urban school districts, including Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida, during the 2016-2017 school year. BCPS Superintendent of Schools Robert W. Runcie, and district leaders, quickly embraced our i3 project in seven district schools, …
We spoke with Leah Eller, a Kindergarten teacher at Green Valley Elementary in Denver, CO about her experience with CLI and why our partnership with teachers is so important. How has Children’s Literacy Initiative training impacted your early literacy instruction? The training that I have received from Children’s Literacy Initiative has helped me really target the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) while …
When Books Change Lives
Ingrid is a proud 2nd grader who loves to read. When asked to name her favorite book, she will tell you that she has many, but her most favorite book right now is The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot, part of the Children’s Literacy Initiative Spanish language book collection, is about a little girl who doesn’t believe that …
Names: The Foundation for Reading and Writing
Learning to read and write is a big task! Luckily, our children enter preschool and kindergarten already equipped with one of the most powerful teaching tools – their names! Children’s names are one the most important words in their lives. The first letters they learn are the letters in their names. Children’s phonological awareness of their names and their eagerness …