CETT Classroom Libraries Greatly Expand Reach, Network

Distribution of 120,000 books by spring, 2005

The CETT program and a consortium of partners from the public and private sectors will complete the distribution of approximately 120,000 books to CETT schools by the spring of 2005, thereby establishing nearly 1,000 new classroom libraries in the hemisphere. It is projected that the number of books contributed will double within the next 24 months.

Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean Adolfo Franco (middle) President and CEO Richard Robinson (right) discuss school libraries expansion.

In opening these classroom libraries, CETT is providing thousands of primary school children in marginalized rural and urban areas with award-winning children’s books and literacy decoratives that are diverse, colorful and culturally appropriate. All 14 CETT countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will benefit from the program.

Classroom libraries are a critical component of a literacy-rich environment. By providing immediate, easy access to a wide range of high-quality reading materials and visual aids, the libraries help make reading a natural part of the children’s everyday activities. This stimulates the children’s imagination, facilitates their sense of ownership and promotes learning at their own pace. It increases their motivation to read—ultimately improving their reading skills. Libraries are also very cost-effective, because one book can be used many different times by many different children.

A key factor in this dramatic effort to develop literacyrich classrooms is CETT’s success in forming privatepublic partnerships. The U.S.-based publisher Scholastic, DHL, Project HOPE, Ford Motor Company Fund, The Palmer Foundation and the Central American firm Grupo Lis are among the companies supporting the program to date.

On September 9, 2004, USAID, Scholastic and CETT met in New York to mark the expansion of Scholastic's support for the CETT program. Adolfo Franco, USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, applauded Scholastic's continuing support. "This raises the effectiveness of USAID's multimillion dollar investment in teacher training because the colorful books help CETT's teachers to instill in their students a love of reading."