children's literacy project | Impact

Literacy Matters: Transforming Futures Through Community

At the Children’s Literacy Project (CLP), we believe literacy matters and that solving America’s literacy crisis starts at the community level. By equipping local leaders, volunteers, and organizations with the tools they need, we are activating a nationwide movement to fight illiteracy and ensure every child has the opportunity to become a confident reader.

Black and white image of 5 children around 7 years old running. They and white, black, and mixed.
Fueling Literacy Impact

Activating and Supporting New Literacy Initiatives

Collective Impact

Inner-City Programs

Example
Lit Camp
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders

University Service Initiatives

Example
Bushnell University
Volunteer Multiplication

Regional Initiatives

Example
Read NW
Activating Loving Neighbors

Church Partnerships

Example
South Lake Church
Building Networks

Metropolitan Impact

Example
School Connect WA
Engaging Poverty

Small Town Programs

Example
BeUndivided Lebanon
Fueling Literacy Impact

Literacy organizations and volunteers are at the heart of the movement

Literacy Organizations
& Partners

We partner with literacy organizations across the country, giving them the resources, support, and visibility they need to expand their impact. By strengthening these partners, we fight illiteracy at scale and ensure more children gain access to the power of reading.

Register your literacy organization
Register your literacy organization
Map of the US covered with orange markers showing reading mentors and literacy nonprofits helping kids learn to read.
A black man sitting with a child, helping him read. Classroom setting.

Individuals & Volunteers

Literacy matters at every level, and volunteers play a vital role in transforming lives. We make it simple for individuals to become reading mentors and contribute to the movement in their own communities. One child, one story, one confident reader at a time.

Become a reading mentor
Become a reading mentor
friends and partners

Literacy Success Stories

United Way of Central Ohio

Central Ohio

Using a proven collective impact model, United Way of Central Ohio serves as the backbone organization for Success by Third Grade, bringing together individuals, nonprofits, corporations, school districts and governments to tackle non-academic barriers that impact reading proficiency.

Catch Up & Read

North Texas

Catch Up & Read’s mission is to equip children from underserved communities to read on grade level by the end of third grade so they can graduate from high school and break the generational cycle of poverty.

Storyshares

Across the Globe

A literacy solution to empower and engage striving readers beyond the 3rd grade.We meet underserved readers wherever they are, providing culturally inclusive decodable texts written for older readers. Storyshares Decodable Chapter books are filled with diverse, relatable, and compelling characters, brought to life with accessible language and formatting.‍

Haverhill Promise

Haverhill, MA

Haverhill Promise is a cross-sector collaboration between schools, nonprofits, teachers, parents, health entities, early education providers, the library, community leaders, and businesses that are interested in playing a role in ensuring that all Haverhill students have the tools necessary to achieve grade-level reading by the end of third grade.

Cobb Collaborative

Smyrna, GA

Cobb Collaborative educates, engages, and empowers local people and organizations to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County.

Lead to Read KC

Kansas City

Lead to Read KC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing children's literacy in Kansas City by mobilizing community volunteers and implementing targeted programs. Their initiatives aim to support the social, emotional, and reading skills essential for student success.‍

Large group shot
People sitting at a long table
Two little girls reading a book together
Image of Jeff Martin and others on stage with large screen behind them. Doing a panel after screening SENTENCED Film
Group of CLP people posing in a pic with Stephen Curry
A black man sitting with a child, helping him read. Classroom setting.
Volunteer reading mentor helping a young student with literacy skills in the classroom.

Activating Individuals to Take Action

Solving the literacy crisis requires all of us. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, volunteer, or concerned community member, literacy matters—and there are powerful ways you can make an impact right where you are.

Take the first step today
Join the Movement
The literacy crisis in America is urgent—but it is also solvable. CLP is activating communities, organizations, and individuals to be part of the solution
Join the Children's Literacy Project Network
Join our Database
Join our Database
Volunteer in your community
Reading Mentor
Reading Mentor
Host a screening of Sentenced
Fundraising
Fundraising

Fuel Children’s Literacy Initiatives Nationwide

Your support fuels our mission to expand a growing literacy volunteer network that spans the nation. By joining the Children’s Literacy Project, you help connect reading mentors and volunteer tutors with children who need them most.