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Early Childhood Literacy

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Our mission in childhood literacy is to nurture the next generation by building, supporting and sustaining innovative approaches that enhance
access to books, innovative learning techniques and a love of reading. 

We do not believe in test-taking success, but in engaging children through education and providing them with the literacy resources that will put them on a path to success.

With the support of the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation,
we launched the Jing-Sen Children’s Happy Reading Fund in 2024. The fund will continue and expand the Foundation’s philanthropic work on childhood literacy in Mainland China.

Stone Soup Happy Reading Alliance

The Stone Soup Happy Reading Alliance was established with the aim of building a reading culture through school campuses, and to encourage a mindset change among teachers, parents and students that positively promotes reading.

The Alliance was founded in Hefei, Anhui Province in 2007 to be a local exemplar for school reading and the development of libraries in Mainland China. There are now 40 schools that are part of the Alliance in Anhui.

Its mission is to make reading as it should be: happy, free and voluntary, putting a strong emphasis on the emotional and personal dimensions; focusing not just on teaching children how to read, but teaching children to love reading by ensuring schools are filled with stimulating books, that students have time to read them during school hours, and that staff are passionate about the importance of reading too.

Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award

The Feng Zikai Chinese Children’s Picture Book Award was launched in 2008 and funded by Mrs Daisy Chen, one of the founding members of The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, who discerned the shortfall in original content Chinese language picture books which resonated culturally with young readers, leading to the establishment of an award, comparable to the Caldecott Medal, to encourage the creation and reading of original Chinese children’s books.

Celebrated biennially, the award has become globally recognised as a hallmark of excellence, acknowledging writers and illustrators for their outstanding contributions, encouraging new readers to discover the joys of picture books, and opening opportunities for the books to be translated and published around the world.

In collaboration with other initiatives funded by The Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation, the competition provides the award-winning books to Stone Soup Happy Reading Alliance school libraries and has built a strong community of prior winners and finalists on a collective mission to encourage a love of reading in Greater China.

Bring Me A Book (Hong Kong)

Founded in 2006, Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (BMABHK) is a non-profit organization and an affiliate of Bring Me A Book Foundation, the award-winning literacy non-profit, in USA, founded by the late Judy Koch in 1997.

BMABHK’s vision is for a Hong Kong in which every child is read to, strengthening family and community bonds, and creating a love of learning.

BMABHK uses evidence-based research to:

  • Provide transformational trainings for parents and educators
  • Offer the best Chinese and English children’s books
  • Design quality programmes to access authors and literacy experts
  • Enrich the lives of all in the Hong Kong community

BMABHK has now installed over 500 bookcases across schools, kindergartens and education centres in Hong Kong, and has provided over 180,000 children with easy access to quality books. Over 30,000 parents and educators have participated in its read aloud training programmes, with 98% of parents now committed to reading more with their children.