Do you remember the book you read in school that changed your life? Was there an educator who taught you to fall in love with reading? The books we read in classrooms have the potential to shape our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in. Unfortunately, many Black and Latinx children do not have access to books where they see themselves in the characters and stories. The Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) is a nonprofit that provides Black and Latinx students with access to high quality and identity-affirming books, so all children have a chance to thrive.
This back to school season, Bond & Grace is partnering with CLI to stock classrooms with books and train educators. For the month of September, Bond & Grace will be matching donations up to $5,000 and for every $5 donation you enter a chance to win a copy of The Secret Garden Art Novel.
Founded in 1988 by children’s librarian Linda Katz, CLI was born out of a pressing public need. Linda noticed how in her community, students’ literacy skills were faltering and the schools were drastically underfunded. She embarked on a mission to supply Pre-K and first grade classrooms with high-quality children’s books.
To learn more about CLI’s history and the phenomenal work they do, we sat down with Phylicia Epps, CLI’s Associate Director of Leadership Coaching and Implementation.
“Literacy is a pressing issue for many young children,” Phylicia says. “Learning to read has meaning far beyond simply building those skills. It’s an act of building identity and intellectualism. It’s a way to understand and question the world around them. Most importantly, it’s an avenue to experience joy, a kid curled up with a book, exploring the world inside is just an amazing thing to see.”
CLI recognizes that as noble and urgent as Lisa Katz’s original goal was, the educational landscape has evolved since the 1980s, and if they are to fulfill Lisa’s mission of helping students, they need to evolve along with it. CLI realized that in order for these books to have the highest possible impact, teachers also needed further training on how to use them.
“We quickly saw that teachers not only needed books, but needed support on how to integrate effective literacy into their instruction. So we evolved to not only providing books but supporting teachers in using them,” Phylicia says. “We support teachers in their lesson planning and data analysis, but also by working side-by-side with teachers in the classroom. We call this elbow teaching, we’re not just there to observe and take notes. We’re trying to change mindsets and also support teachers in their practice.”
This has a tremendous impact on educators, who are much more likely to be receptive to change when that change is coming from a peer inside their classroom who can see first-hand what challenges they are facing.
This combination of working hard at a national level to try and solve inequities among students, while still having a tangible presence in schools and classrooms perfectly embodies CLI’s mission. They tackle the big questions of how to help students better succeed, while also doing the hands–on work of supporting leaders and teachers, and stocking classrooms with books.
As much as the educational needs of young students have changed over the decades, literacy itself is still a weak point in many schools. And a lack of confidence in reading has consequences for students larger than simply poor grades.
When students lack confidence in reading, many also lack confidence in themselves and what they can accomplish in the world. These inequities lay primarily along lines of race and class, something that has persisted for decades.
“Despite the millions of dollars spent on literacy in our country, four out of five Black and Latinx children aren’t reading at grade level at the end of third grade,” Pylicia says. “These statistics are the result of stacked inequities and they isolate Black and Brown children from educational resources that many of their wealthy white counterparts enjoy.”
While the causes of these inequities are many, one with tremendous impact is simply an issue of representation.
“For Black and Brown students, 9/10 books in every classroom do not actually align with the identities of students in those classrooms,” Phylicia says.
It prompts the question, what is the impact on a child who does not see people who look like them in the books they read, when they are more likely to come across a talking dragon or a smiling airplane than characters with their color skin or who speak their language?
CLI recognizes that when it comes to students’ success, no one has more influence than their teachers. That is why in addition to stocking classrooms with identity-affirming books, they work closely with educators to better support their students.
“We want teachers to inquire into their students. To really figure out who are these little people in your classroom every day, what are they like, what are they passionate about, and what aspects of their culture can you incorporate into conversation,” Phylicia says. “When teachers can do that, they can use that information to build relationships and better support their students.”
In addition to helping teachers better understand their students, CLI always prioritizes speaking with students themselves. “So much of our educational system talks about children, but doesn’t spend a lot of time talking to children and understanding their perspective,” Phylicia says. It is easy to discount the opinions of young kids, but as anyone who has spent time with children knows, they are more than capable of speaking for themselves to those who are willing to listen.
While these efforts may sound small from a birds-eye view, in the life of an individual child, they are enormous. “I remember one little girl in a first grade classroom at Joseph Kellman Community Elementary School in Chicago,” Phylicia recounts. “She was a sweet girl and always listened attentively to her classmates, but she was very quiet and very reserved. One morning, we had the children write stories in their journals and they had the opportunity to use their crayons and markers to illustrate their writing and share their drawings. And this girl, who the whole time we had been there was very hesitant to speak, very much in her shell, she became excited and talked about her picture. She found her voice through sharing her illustration and reading her writing aloud. This then led to her sharing during check-ins and participating in book discussions. Over the course of that school year, she went up four reading levels.”
When telling this story, Phylicia nearly glows with pride. “Literacy is not just about reading, but talking, having conversations, and building confidence. When educators are given the coaching and resources to create inclusive, respectful, and affirming classrooms, they promote a positive self-identity, so that children feel comfortable sharing their whole selves, which includes their cultures, languages, gifts, and talents. This is an environment where children can thrive, and it yields truly positive results.
Invest in the future of children’s literacy today, with CLI. “When you give to CLI you open a world of possibility for children,” Phylicia says. “You’re helping to bring dreams within reach for children across the country.”
To learn more about CLI and the work they do visit cli.org
Many thanks to Phylicia, Satya, Justin, and the rest of the CLI team. We see the work you do, and we thank you.
