The National Children’s Museum (NCM) is celebrating International Literacy Month beginning on September 8, International Literacy Day. First observed in 1967 by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day is a time for individuals, organizations, and countries throughout the world to renew their efforts to promote literacy and demonstrate their commitment to provide education for all. NCM actively supports international literacy by presenting programs not only in the local Washington, DC community, but in eight U.S. states, Palestine, and Bahrain. During International Literacy Month, NCM strives to raise awareness about the importance of literacy by providing information and tips on how to support the movement.   

What is the significance of literacy?
Literacy skills, including the ability to read, write, do math, and use technology, help children and adults reach their highest potential. The ability to read and write:
• Expands access to learning for children and adults;
• Promotes active and engaged community members;
• Helps children and parents learn good health practices; 
• Enables students and employees to be productive; and much more.

Did you know?
• Children who watch four or more hours of TV per day spend less time on school work, have poorer reading skills, play less with friends, and have fewer hobbies than children who watch less TV.
• More than eight million students in grades four through 12 read below their grade level.
• The 25 fastest-growing professions have far greater than average literacy demands, while the fastest-declining professions have lower than average literacy demands.
(From International Reading Associations, Literacy Facts at www.reading.org.)

Want to take action?
• Ask your children how they can help the community become more aware of the importance of literacy—
identify an activity you can work on together.
• Organize a local book/school supplies drive. Donate books and supplies from the drive to local schools, literacy programs, and educational organizations.
• Help older students create books. Students can write and illustrate stories to read to younger students.
• Celebrate cultures from around the world. Read and compare folk tales from different countries, share songs, and dress in ethnic costumes to make reading fun.
• Support your local bookmobile. Bookmobiles are mobile libraries serving areas without a library.
• Become a reading mentor to a child. Reading aloud to a child is one the most effective ways to help a child become a reader.
To learn how to become a reading mentor or volunteer visit, www.everybodywins.org.

How does NCM support literacy?
The National Children’s Museum supports the values of literacy and life-long learning year-round. NCM education experts created the Family Literacy Projects on a Budget® workshop to provide educators and families with affordable resources and experiences needed to foster literacy at school and at home. School-age educators and family childcare providers learn to address family literacy with creative hands-on activities, inexpensive supplies, and PACT (parent and child) teaching methods. Initiated by the National Center for Family Literacy, the PACT approach halts the destructive spiral of struggling parents engendering struggling children and combats situational barriers to educational goals.

The NCM accompanying publication, Family Literacy Projects on a Budget Trainers’ Toolkit, offers resources, ideas, helpful tips, and suggestions to develop and present cost-effective literacy activities for family events, based on broad themes and familiar subject matter. By crafting experiences that empower parents and children to investigate their own thoughts, ideas, and behaviors, NCM strives to make literacy a habit. Family Literacy Projects on a Budget Trainers' Toolkit is available for sale on Amazon.com.

For more information more about International Literacy Day, visit:
- www.unesco.org/en/literacy
- www.reading.org
- www.proliteracy.org

About the National Children’s Museum
Scheduled to open in 2013, the National Children’s Museum (NCM) will be a world-class cultural and educational center dedicated to engaging children and empowering them to make a difference. The mission of NCM is to inspire children to care about and improve the world. Through its interactive exhibits, online community (www.ncm.museum), and unique national programs and partnerships, NCM is transforming the concept of a traditional museum by becoming a catalyst and forum for a national movement to inspire and empower kids to speak up, take action, and get engaged in their communities. Through 2013, NCM is operating as a Museum Without Walls, participating in a variety of community events and working with other arts and cultural organizations to develop creative partnerships that benefit kids and families. In 2009, NCM opened the Launch Zone, a 2,700 square-foot space at National Harbor where kids and families can prototype and test exhibit and program concepts. For more information, visit www.ncm.museum.