Our story begins when five citizen founders and eight Washington school districts came together to start the organization with the belief that the entire community is responsible and part of the solution to reading proficiency. The goal was adopted that 90% of students would read proficiently by the end of third grade within six years.

The Children’s Reading Foundation first supported students in Benton and Franklin Counties in Washington state to attain the high standards required by Washington’s Educational Reform Act of 1993.

In 2001, the foundation expanded to become the national organization and as a result, the Mid-Columbia Chapter was born. Both the national organization and the Mid-Columbia chapter are headquartered in Kennewick, Washington.

Today, The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia (CRFMC) continues to promote the vision that every child learns to read early and read well, thereby reaching his or her full potential in school and in life. CRFMC coordinates the READY! for Kindergarten and Team Read programs. Over 30,000 books are distributed annually in the Mid-Columbia through our First Teacher Libraries, the READ Up Summer Slide prevention programs, our Books for Babies program and via many other avenues.