Without action, current education systems will continue to deny the fundamental right to quality education for millions of children for decades to come.Room to Read's Literacy Portfolio supports children in developing literacy skills with a love of reading.
Literacy
The Importance of Literacy Programs
Quality education is an inherent human right, and yet, it remains out of reach for millions of children around the world. The current generation of children are experiencing the largest loss of learning in recorded history.
70% of children in historically low- to middle-income communities cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of ten.
44 million teachers need to be recruited to meet universal primary and secondary education needs by 2030. In the rush to fill this gap, many countries are lowering standards, leaving new teachers with little or no training.
In many under-resourced communities, quality, culturally relevant children’s books for early readers are limited or nonexistent.
Inside Room to Read's Literacy Program
Room to Read’s Literacy Program is a core part of our portfolio through which we:
We know that how we teach is just as important as what we teach. Room to Read trains educators in literacy and library best practices, assisting them in developing their skills and knowledge on effective literacy instruction and library management, with ongoing job-embedded support through literacy coaches. Centered around engaging and evidence-based instructional materials, we develop and publish local language student textbooks with accompanying teachers guides. LEARN MORE ABOUT EDUCATOR TRAINING >> Train and coach cohorts of teachers
Room to Read invests in school libraries because the research is clear: when children have access to a variety of children’s literature and trained library staff to support book use, they develop a deeper appreciation for reading and have more opportunities for literacy skill practice and overall learning. Room to Read’s Library Rating System ensures our libraries are high-functioning and sustainable. We conduct twice-yearly assessments that track 15 indicators on a prioritized checklist and rate performance. The system helps prioritize and identify schools that need extra support.Establish child-friendly libraries
Through our unique role as a nonprofit book publisher, Room to Read partners with local publishers, authors and illustrators to create and distribute local language children's books for readers at various levels. Our work simultaneously builds a demand for children’s literature and strengthens the book publishing ecosystem. We’ve expanded our content creation efforts beyond print and digital books alone to include new mediums, channels and access points. This work has introduced audio and video formats, as well as other formats such as braille. READ OUR BOOKS ON OUR DIGITAL LIBRARY >> Create and distribute quality books
Our Results
Room to Read's comprehensive Literacy Program contributes to greater reading fluency and comprehension.
Over the last five years, Grade 2 children in Room to Read project schools:
- Read on average more than 2x as many correct words per minute
- Correctly answered 2x as many comprehension questions compared to their peers in comparison schools.
Room to Read has:
- Published 4,600+ original and adapted children’s books in 57 local languages
- Distributed 42+ million books.
- Created Literacy Cloud, Room to Read’s online digital library which hosts 3,000+ children’s book titles in 41 languages.
- In 2023 alone, we trained more than 72,500 teachers and librarians and continuously advocate with governments to adopt library standards and support systems.
Literacy News and Updates
"When we create something tangible for the students, that’s what love is."
Creating essential learning resources: Room to Read publishes new Urdu-language books in Pakistan
Education remains a constant amidst change for refugee communities across the globe
Room to Read’s STEAM-Powered Careers Book Collection inspires representation in STEAM careers
