Who We Are
Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) is a non-profit that works with teachers to transform instruction so that children can become powerful readers, writers, and thinkers.
Our goal is to close the gap in literacy achievement between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers. In order to teach reading and writing to children entering school with little early literacy experience, teachers need high-impact strategies and techniques.
We invest in teachers and their classrooms by providing professional development and quality children’s books. We work classroom by classroom—pre-kindergarten through third grade—to strengthen instruction and create a culture of literacy. We develop a Model Classroom in each grade level, supporting consecutive years of high-impact literacy instruction for students.
Since our founding in 1988, teachers coached by CLI have taught more than 1 million children. We have a strong track record of success partnering with school districts, Head Starts, and other organizations. We currently provide our professional development services to under-resourced classrooms in nine states plus Washington, DC. We have developed more than 130 Model Classrooms in low-income neighborhood schools in ten cities and will establish 160 more in the next three years.
CLI® Clients
Atlanta Public Schools
Augusta County School District
Baltimore City Public School System
New York City Public Schools (Brooklyn)
Camden Public Schools*
Chicago Public Schools*
DC Public Schools
School District of Lancaster
Newark School District*
Pennsbury School District
School District of Philadelphia*
Plainfield School District
Pottstown School District
Revere Public Schools
Vineland Board of Education
White Plains School District
Wicomico County
School District of the City of York
* i3 Modeling Exemplary Literacy Instruction (MELI) Project
CLI® Impact and Results
Over the past 10 years, teachers coached by CLI have taught more than one million children.
Independent research studies have shown that our program is successful and cost-effective, and that our results are lasting. For example, the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning found that students in schools with CLI Model Classrooms consistently outperform their peers on literacy skill tests.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy has identified Children’s Literacy Initiative as an exemplar agent in improving quality early literacy instruction and a non-profit organization where invested charitable dollars can do the most good.
These factors were key to our becoming one of 49 winners, from a field of 1,700 applicants, of a $21.7 million federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. This award allows us to provide services to improve 456 classrooms in public schools in Camden, NJ; Chicago, IL; Newark, NJ; and Philadelphia, PA. Developing these highly effective teachers will directly impact 45,600 students during the 5-year grant period.
CLI® Approach
In CLI offers professional development promoting best practices in teaching reading and writing for grades pre-kindergarten through third.
We provide training and coaching sessions.
CLI institutes, seminars, and workshops, participants study the most current research in exemplary practices, build on prior knowledge, and move toward clear outcomes. Our expert Professional Developers, 90% of whom hold masters degrees, guide participants through the process and also provide one-on-one coaching in the classroom to help teachers put newly learned instructional strategies into practice. Continued coaching deepens, expands, and sustains professional learning.
We establish Model Classrooms.
We provide Model Classroom teachers with training that is both intensive and sustained over time, and stock their classrooms with large collections of quality children’s books and literacy materials. The result is nothing short of transformative: a classroom where students thrive in an environment of support and challenge.
Our Model Classrooms are evidence of the remarkable success of rich literacy environments, exemplary teaching, and high expectations for students. Other teachers visit Model Classrooms to see high-quality instruction in action. Observing success in a school similar to one’s own shows teachers the possibilities for student achievement in even the most poverty-stricken areas.
Our Model Classroom intervention has been carefully designed so that it can be replicated in diverse school districts across the country. This program is unique because it is not a dependency model. Instead, we help schools build internal capacity so they can maintain high-functioning grade-level learning communities with minimal continued costs. Model Classrooms are in-house resources for other teachers and facilitate the sharing of ideas among colleagues.
We provide high-quality children’s books.
Great children’s books are the heart and soul of CLI’s programs. Teachers use our carefully selected books to help children love reading for its own sake; learn letters, concepts about print, and vocabulary; develop an interest in authors and content themes, including math and science; and to invite children into the world of literacy.
We help teachers create a literacy-rich classroom environment and improve classroom management skills. Sometimes referred to as the second teacher in the room, a quality classroom environment that promotes literacy through engaged, meaningful activity is an essential base for student achievement. The physical environment and learning climate are both central to improving classroom management while meeting the needs of all children and fostering a love of learning.
