The Children’s Reading Foundation

Reading 20 minutes every day with a child beginning at birth is the most important activity families can do to aid in a child’s overall learning and development.

The Children’s Reading Foundation was founded in 1996 in Kennewick, Washington. The foundation’s early work was focused on parents and caregivers reading daily with a child with the message:

Read Together 20 Minutes Every Day™

Nearly two decades later, The Children’s Reading Foundation is a national nonprofit with chapters and programs across the country, including the READY! for Kindergarten® school readiness program. The foundation continues to strengthen partnerships and build broad awareness of its vision, mission and messages. The foundation remains focused on ensuring parents and caregivers understand their critical role in helping nurture children’s development from birth through third grade by spending time each day in literacy and learning activities. To accomplish its work, The Children’s Reading Foundation uses a multifaceted approach to encourage and support families, schools and communities through education, engagement, and school readiness and reading programs. This all-encompassing approach helps provide children with a strong foundation in reading and ensures they enter school eager and ready to continue learning.

The Children’s Reading Foundation local chapters are affiliates of the national office and can currently be found in 11 states. Chapters empower parents, schools, caregivers and leaders to vastly improve the future for all children in the communities served.

At its core, a chapter of The Children’s Reading Foundation is a group of local champions. These caring community leaders help sustain the foundation’s enormously powerful message, “Read with a child. It’s the most important 20 minutes of your day.” Chapters understand that one of the biggest predictors of a child’s success in school and life is reading proficiently by the end of third grade. And through the simple steps of communicating clearly, involving broad local partners and staying mission focused they mobilize entire communities to ensure every child receives the lifelong advantages of literacy.

Welcome Okanogan County

During fiscal year 2015, a new chapter formally launched in Washington state. The Children’s Reading Foundation of Okanogan County serves a large migrant population and supports the community’s English as a Second Language bilingual needs. The chapter is already broadening its impact by reaching out to the community and families it serves in-person, and by adapting its READY! for Kindergarten parent workshop times to accommodate participants’ work schedules.

2015 Flagship Chapter Award

Each year, The Children’s Reading Foundation selects one of its local chapters for its Flagship Chapter Award. To be considered, a chapter must demonstrate mission effectiveness, sustainability, board engagement and strong community support. The Children’s Reading Foundation of Licking County Ohio was selected as the recipient of the 2015 Flagship Chapter Award. Formed in 2009, the chapter focuses on engaging families to read daily with their children beginning at birth and offers the READY! for Kindergarten program to reach its vision of 100 percent literacy for children in the county. The Children's Reading Foundation of Licking County is making a positive difference for students in its service area.

2015 Flagship Chapter Award

“I am so excited about our chapter receiving the Flagship Award. It is such a wonderful recognition of the people whose vision and dedication to childhood literacy in Licking County has created and sustained our local chapter for the past six years.”

— David Hile

Licking Valley Local Schools and The Children’s Reading Foundation of Licking County (Ohio)