Partnership Announcement: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and Worldreader
Worldreader and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy join forces to promote family literacy and empower children and caregivers through reading.
September 2022 – San Francisco and Washington D.C., US
Worldreader and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy are pleased to announce a new partnership that will strengthen family literacy and empower children and adults through reading across the US.
Worldreader believes that readers build a better world. Supporting underserved children in 100+ countries, the nonprofit has distributed over 70 million digital books to more than 21 million readers. Working with partners globally, Worldreader provides the tools, training, and resources families and education programs need to help children experience the love of reading while developing foundational literacy and life skills.
For over three decades, the Barbara Bush Foundation has worked to give adults and families the opportunity to learn how to read, write, and comprehend in order to navigate the world with dignity. Since its establishment by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989, the Foundation has supported literacy programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, impacting millions of lives.
Together, Worldreader and the Barbara Bush Foundation will provide families with the tools they need to thrive together through reading. Because a child’s literacy begins with their caregivers, literate adults have the power to create a positive reading ecosystem for their children that will lead them to better health and success later in life. By breaking the cycle of low literacy, readers can not only improve their own lives but also those of their family members and the community around them.
Understanding that family literacy starts with adult literacy, the family reading program is designed to remove barriers of access to texts for low-literate adults. It will empower adult caregivers to strengthen their personal literacy skills while gaining confidence to enhance and support their children’s education.
“Bringing adult and child literacy together is crucial to amplifying the benefits of reading for all. We’re excited to team up with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and help readers of all ages thrive,” said Rebecca Chandler Leege, Chief Impact Officer at Worldreader.
The three-year partnership will build and promote reading engagement through family literacy programming and the creation of a bilingual adult and family learning collection. The collection will include guided activities, compelling adult learning-focused stories, and over 200 children’s books in English and Spanish.
Key to the program is BookSmart, Worldreader’s low-cost digital reading solution designed to unlock the power of digital reading online and offline. By offering easy-to-use tools, engaging content, and a focus on family social and emotional development, the program will build greater understanding and learning autonomy and strengthen family conversations. In addition, the collection will be grounded in research to ensure the program is ready for scale.
“Our founder, Barbara Bush, believed that a parent is a child’s first and best teacher – and that’s still true today,” said Pamela Cote, Senior Director of Curriculum and Training for the Barbara Bush Foundation. “We’re thrilled to partner with Worldreader on this exciting new collection that offers families the vital opportunity to read, learn, and grow together.”
Media Contacts
Worldreader
Melanie Wise
Sr. Director, Global Marketing & Communications
comms@worldreader.org
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Tanya Romeyn
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
tanya@barbarabush.org
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