Top Ten Child Literacy Organizations

Jailene Adorno ‘16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
According to UNICEF, the number of illiterate youth has decreased to 126 million. However, we still need to come together to promote child literacy across the world so that that number continues to decrease. We can help by getting involved and spreading the word about the different kinds of child literacy organizations. Here are the top ten child literacy organizations that not only help teach children how to read, but also work at getting them excited about the concept of reading:

10. Book Adventure

Book Adventure is an organization that is sponsored by the Sylvan Learning Centers. As a free, web-accessible organization, Book Adventure is dedicated toward getting children between kindergarten and eighth grade inspired to read. Through this website, children are given the opportunity to earn prizes by searching for books and taking quizzes based on what they’ve read. Book Adventure provides a ton of games and contests that help parents and teachers get involved as well.

9. Raising a Reader
Raising a Reader (RAR) is a literacy organization founded in 1999, with the mission of helping parents and caregivers create a reading routine for the children in their families. RAR believes that it is essential to introduce the concept of reading to children from the very start, as soon as they are born. By doing so, children will grow to love reading and really understand why it is so important to share that love with others.
8. 826 National

826 National is a non-profit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization. The organization helps students ages 6-18 with critical and creative writing. They are structured around one-on-one and drop-in tutoring as well as field trips. 826 has served over 30,000 students in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston.
7. Reading Rockets
The goal of Reading Rockets is to help parents and teachers show their students how to be strong and confident readers. They help to show which techniques really work so that educators know what to use in the future. Reading Rockets also works with PBS to create television programs that help promote children’s literacy.
6. Bookshare

As the world’s largest digital library, Bookshare focuses on helping children with dyslexia and any kind of visual impairment learn how to read. By making their books accessible, Bookshare provides for their books to be read in many different ways. Children can listen to the books as they are read through text-to-speech voices. They also help by using Braille, enlarged fonts, and highlighted words on a screen.
5. The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance
As a non-profit organization, the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, strives toward getting young people excited about books. The organization was founded by award-winning authors and illustrators who truly believe that literacy is an important component of development. According to their website, their main goal is, “to make issues related to young people’s literacy, literature, and libraries an ongoing priority on our national agenda.”
4. Literate Nation
Literate Nation is a nationwide literacy organization. They help to administer advice and tools for parents and educators to use for their students in order to better their reading skills. Literate Nation is all about believing in and empowering students. They show students that they can believe in themselves and that there are people all over the world who want to help them become stronger readers.
3. Reading is Fundamental: ¡Leamos en Familia!

Reading is Fundamental (RIF) is a bilingual website that helps Latino families motivate their children to read. Their goal is to inspire children to want to read and to enjoy it. They work not only with parents, but with members of the community as well. RIF hopes to show children the value of reading a good book and the sense of achievement one feels once a book has been finished.
2. Children’s Book Council
Since 1945, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) has aimed toward encouraging literacy as well as the enjoyment of children’s books. Every year CBC sponsors different programs such as National Children’s Book Week and Young People’s Poetry Week. Another way that CBC helps children get excited about reading is by allowing them to engage with authors and illustrators. They are able to do so through other programs such as “Tea with Children’s Authors and Illustrators” and “Speed Dating with Children’s Authors and Illustrators.”
1. First Book
This organization aims to give the children of low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first book. First Book works with other child literacy organizations to ensure that children have access to books, no matter their economic situation. After helping families and children around the world for twenty-one years, First Book has been able to distribute 125 million books. They’ve also been able to start 155,000 schools and programs with the sole purpose of promoting literacy.