Children's Literacy Network

Growing Readers for Life!

Childrens Literacy Networks mission is to design and implement literacy-based programs to provide equitable opportunities for children to develop a love of reading and books.

We are a volunteer-based nonprofit agency established in 1991, dedicated to closing the book and reading achievement gap to keep low-income students from falling further behind their more affluent peers. Children's Literacy Network (CLN) accomplishes this goal through innovative programming at the early childhood and school-age levels.

We are proud to be an active participant in the Cradle to Career Initiative which is focused on meeting children's needs throughout their educational and developmental stages. CLN is strongly aligned with this effort through every program we offer: CLN takes an active role in making sure children are ready to succeed in kindergarten; in ensuring all children will read proficiently by the end of third grade; and in supporting the overall goal that all youth will graduate high school.

For 31 years CLN has provided literacy programs to 400,000 young readers in Washtenaw County, distributing more than a million dollars in new high-quality books to low-income children, creating home libraries for families who need them most. CLNs current continuum of services and the growth in scope and programming could not have been foreseen by CLNs founders. Nevertheless, the original goals of the organization remain the same. CLNs services are useful and empowering for parents, and critical to narrowing the achievement gap between students of different neighborhoods and resources. CLN is committed to meeting ongoing literacy needs, and is dynamic and determined to work with community partners to meet emergent and urgent needs.

CLN, has 6 proven programs that support its mission:

For 31 years Children's Literacy Network (CLN) has provided inspiring, free literacy programs to more than 300,000 young readers in Washtenaw County and has given away more than $1 million in new high-quality books, to low-income children, creating home libraries for families who need them most. CLN will continue to build on the foundation it has established as a strong sustainable organization.

Built on the well-known concept of pen pals, the BookPALS program targets reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Second graders will be paired with peers from nearby communities who have compatible reading levels and interests. Each month a BookPAL picks a book, records themselves reading on a tablet, and answers questions about themselves. The books and tablets are delivered to the paired school and the whole process is repeated. Over the year, the pals friendships and home libraries grow, along with their love of reading. At the end of the year, the BookPALS from all schools take a field trip and gather together for a celebration day where everyone meets in person, participates in a final book reading/exchange, and enjoys fun activities together. We are in need of volunteers for this program starting in the fall of 2019. Please email for more information!

In a partnership with the Junior League of Ann Arbor, FLIP events are curriculum-based literacy nights that take place at local elementary schools and Head Start preschools where students and parents move through stations and work together on fun literacy-based activities. We are always in need of volunteers for these events.

To reach Washtenaw County's most vulnerable children CLN partners with the WISD, Head Start and Early Head Start for its Read With Kids Program which enhances and develops a bond between parent and child-centered around reading and books. This distinctive program actively reaches out to work with parents to create engagements that promote early literacy skill building in the home, where prior to the intervention, none was present.

CLNREADS (Formerly Summer Book Program)Every Spring, students in high focus low-resource schools choose up to 8 high-quality books to take home, read and engage with throughout the summer months. CLNREADS has proven success in eradicating the summer slide in reading achievement and focuses on elementary schools in the 48918 area.In 2018 CLN piloted an interactive reading website at Holmes Elementary, clnreads.com,to partner with this program and actively keep students in grades 1-5 engaged with reading all summer long.

Staying In Closer Touch ProgramThis program gives incarcerated family members an opportunity to connect with their children while incarcerated through book readings and storytelling. Books and recordings of parents reading them are sent to their child who is being cared for by others during their incarceration. Studies show that participation in these storybook programs facilitates a love of reading in the child and motivates the parents to stay at home once he or she is released from prison.

Literacy Pack Project has provided 6000 books and literacy resources to families receiving emergency food supplies during the COVID-19 crisis, to help mitigate educational losses. The project will continue to provide books and resources to families during possible upcoming school closures in the 2021-2022 school year.