§ 6646 — Innovative Approaches To Literacy

(a) From amounts reserved under section 6621(2) of this title, the Secretary may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for the purposes of promoting literacy programs that support the development of literacy skills in low-income communities, including— (1) developing and enhancing effective school library programs, which may include providing professional development for school librarians, books, and up-to-date materials to high-need schools; (2) early literacy services, including pediatric literacy programs through which, during well-child visits, medical providers trained in research-based methods of early language and literacy promotion provide developmentally appropriate books and recommendations to parents to encourage them to read aloud to their children starting in infancy; and (3) programs that provide high-quality books on a regular basis to children and adolescents from low-income communities to increase reading motivation, performance, and frequency. (b) In this section: (1) The term “eligible entity” means— (A) a local educational agency in which 20 percent or more of the students served by the local educational agency are from families with an income below the poverty line; (B) a consortium of such local educational agencies; (C) the Bureau of Indian Education; or (D) an eligible national nonprofit organization. (2) The term “eligible national nonprofit organization” means an organization of national scope that— (A) is supported by staff, which may include volunteers, or affiliates at the State and local levels; and (B) demonstrates effectiveness or high-quality plans for addressing childhood literacy activities for the population targeted by the grant.