About us
We’re building a future of literacy and equity for Canadian children.
Our story
We are dedicated to ensuring every child in Canada has the literacy skills needed to reach their full potential.
Our mission and the people behind it
The Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation was founded in 2017 by Heather Reisman (founder and CEO of Indigo) and Heather Munroe-Blum (Chairperson Emeritus of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board), who recognized inequities in early literacy development across Canada and set out to build a brighter future for children.
We focus on closing the literacy gap, particularly for children in low socio-economic communities and those facing additional challenges such as cultural identity, geographic isolation, family dynamics, and physical and mental health conditions.
Breaking barriers, building readers
We work alongside healthcare professionals, educators, communities, families and caregivers, and government agencies, to remove barriers and build pathways to literacy, so every child in Canada can develop strong reading skills. Through collaboration, advocacy, and evidence-based programs, we ensure children have the tools they need to learn and grow.
CCLF is the only national charity focused exclusively on early literacy.
Discover how we’re advancing early literacy from coast to coast.
Land acknowledgement
The Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation’s office is located on lands that are covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. Our work takes place on the traditional territory and the enduring home of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across the country now known as Canada.
Core to our beliefs is that oral and written storytelling can contribute to honouring, respecting, and protecting the languages and cultures of Indigenous Peoples who have lived here for millennia. We are committed to learning about the traditions and current realities of the Indigenous Peoples of this land. We strive to listen to and learn from Indigenous ways of nurturing literacy in children, and to support those traditions in communities where we are invited to work together.