The following organizations and Web sites offer useful information for physicians promoting literacy. School and public librarians are also valuable resources and may be able to  help you promote literacy in your community.

American Library Association
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. ALA offers professional services and publications to members and nonmembers. View the Caldecott Award Winners here.

America’s Literacy Directory
A directory of literacy and educational resources that allows the user to type in a city, state, or zip code, identify an educational need and receive a list of available programs or materials.

Bank Street Library
The Bank Street Library offers links to child development Web sites for both professionals and parents.

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
Founded March 6, 1989 by Mrs Barbara Bush, the Foundation has awarded more than $20 million to nearly 600 family literacy programs in 47 states and our nation's capital since its inception.

Center for Early Literacy Learning
Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has developed a new Web site to make resources more easily availablbe for those that care for children, birth to 5 years of age, with identified disabilities, developmental delays,  and those at  ris for poor outcomes.  CELL was funded by the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education to promote the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based early literacy learning practices.

Children’s Literacy Initiative
Children's Literacy Initiative (CLI) was founded in 1988 to enhance the opportunity for children from low-income families to enter school ready to learn and, once in school, to be successful in learning to read.  This site offers useful material for parents.

Children's Book Council
The Children's Book Council is the national nonprofit trade association for children's trade book publishers. The CBC offers children's publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations.

Colorin Colorado
Colorin Colorado is a free web-based service that provides information, activities, and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorin Colorado is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital and is a service of the Reading Rockets Project (see below).

Guys Read
Guys Read was created and designed to reach boys directly with books recommended by other “guys” and to motivate adults (parents, teacher, librarians, booksellers, and publishers) to examine the role gender plays in the books written and given to boys. John Scieszka, author of the Time Warp Trio series and many other books popular with boys, serves as the spokesperson for Guys Read.

International Reading Association
The mission of the IRA is to promote reading by continuously advancing the quality of literacy instruction and research worldwide.

Pikes Peak District Library Kids’ Web Page
One of many public library Web sites full of resources for children and parents with links to many other useful Web sites. For more public library Web sites, you can enter the name of a city and the words “public library” in a Web search engine. The information and links available are astounding and have been vetted by certified librarians.

Reach Out and Read National Center
Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud in pediatric exam rooms across the nation. Doctors and nurses know that growing up healthy means growing up with books. The ROR program provides the tools to help promote children's developmental skills and later school success. The Reach Out and Read Web site provides sites that implement literacy programs targeted toward children 6 months to 5 years of age.

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc prepares and motivates children to read by delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most. Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. RIF’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8.

Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital. This site includes parent tip sheets. These 1-page sheets are now available for download as a PDF in 9 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

US Department of Education
Many useful resources and downloadable activities for parents and children designed to encourage learning and success in school.

Other Free Literacy-Related Web Sites for Families

Reading Is Fundamental
Kids will love the RIF Web site because it has games, interactive stories, contests, e-cards, and more! Parents can download booklists, information guides and learn more about Reading is Fundamental.

Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets is a Web site for parents who want more information about how to help struggling readers.

Merlyn’s Pen
Read thousands of stories, of all genres, by kids for kids. Teens and tweens will love reading stories by their peers.

National Center for Family Literacy
NCFL provides families with tools and information necessary to build literacy into their home and daily life.

PBS
Kids can play educational games with their favorite characters and shows like Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Between the Lions and more.

Storyplace
Pre-K and Elementary school students can read dozens of interactive books along with their computer guide. Online activities and games help reinforce the themes of the story. Great for emerging readers and teaching beginning computer skills.

Kids Book Shelf
Books for recommendations for tweens and teens.

Scholastic
The leading children’s publisher has games, book recommendations, author interviews, and more for kids 5-12.