13

2016 Annual Report

In its 10th year, The Children’s Reading 

Foundation’s Early Learning Confer-

ence was held this summer in Pasco, 

Washington. Nearly 200 education, 

medical, and child care professionals, 

as well as parents and business lead-

ers attended the foundation’s largest 

educational event.  
The foundation was honored to host 

founder and director of Thirty Million 

Words Initiative®, Dr. Dana Suskind, as 

the keynote speaker. She is the author 

of Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s 

Brain and presented recent science 

about the importance of early language 

exposure to the developing child and 

how to best put it into practice.

The Greater Chicago chapter earned the 

foundation’s 2016 Flagship Chapter Award. 
Each year, The Children’s Reading Foun-

dation selects one of its chapters for the 

Flagship Chapter Award. To be considered, a 

chapter must demonstrate mission effective-

ness, sustainability, board engagement, and 

strong community backing.
For nearly five years, The Children’s Reading 

Foundation of Greater Chicago has demon-

strated results in engaging and empowering 

families, schools, and its community to help 

improve children’s early reading and school 

readiness skills. 
The Chicago chapter has also been instru-

mental in a recent randomized control 

trial study as part of a U.S. Department of 

Education Innovative Approaches to Literacy 

grant on the effectiveness of the READY! for 

Kindergarten school readiness program.

This award recognizes 

the positive difference we 

are making for families in 

Greater Chicago. It is such 

a wonderful acknowledg-

ment of the people whose 

vision and dedication to 

childhood literacy in Cook 

County has created and 

sustained our local chapter 

for the past four years.”

 

Lemi-Ola Erinkitola

Executive Director

The Children’s Reading Foundation 

 of Greater Chicago (Illinois)

Early Learning Conference

2016 Flagship Chapter Award

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