2013 Winners & Honorees

Library of Congress Literacy Awards Best Practices 2013 (PDF, 1.49 MB)

Winners

David M. Rubenstein Prize

Reach Out and Read encourages early-childhood literacy by capitalizing on the relationship between parents and their children’s pediatricians. By integrating basic literacy awareness into regular office visits, children are exposed to books and reading at the earliest age, well before they start school. Free books are distributed during the visit as well. Reach Out and Read achieves sustainability because it has integrated literacy education into a widely practiced experience (the well-baby visit).

American Prize

826 National uses unique storefront offices in eight cities as bases for addressing community problems of both literacy and aliteracy. One-on-one tutoring for at-risk K-12 students is offered along with a range of free core programs, including storytelling, bookmaking, in-school writing workshops and publishing projects.

International Prize

Planet Read in India is an innovative program that reinforces literacy skills, primarily through subtitles for popular musical television programming. SLS (Same Language Subtitling) was developed in India based on solid research. It is simple to implement and easy to replicate, reaching 200 million low-literacy TV viewers in India. SLS is notable as a highly motivational approach for getting low-literacy adults to read, particularly where access to books is difficult.

Honorees

Note: some honorees are recognized for multiple best practices in 2013.

Facilitating Access to Print

• Reading Is Fundamental
• First Book
• Osu Children's Library Fund
• Libros para Pueblos
• Banco del Libro

Cultivating Diverse Partnerships

• National Year of Reading

Leveraging of Community Resources

• Queens Library Literacy Zone Welcome Center—Adult Learning Center
• Room to Read
• Literacy Volunteers, Inc.
• We Love Reading

Assuring Cultural Relevance

• Dia
• Banco del Libro
• Room to Read
• Adults Literacy Tutors Association

Using Technology

• Friends in Village Development Bangladesh
• Reader to Reader
• Premier League Reading Star
• FunDza Literacy Trust
• Reading Rockets

Developing Writing Skills

• FunDza Literacy Trust
• Reader to Reader

Reading Aloud and Storytelling

• Read Aloud 15 Minutes. Every Child. Every Parent. Every Day
• Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation
• We Love Reading

Fostering Early Intervention and Family Engagement

• National Center for Family Literacy—Parent and Child Education
• Motheread/Fatheread Colorado
• Better Beginnings