259,318 BOOKS DONATED TO-DATE
Sharing the love for books with our youngest learners
since 2014.
The Program:
Children Read is designed to improve reading skills of children by giving them books of their own before they reach kindergarten. To do this, Children Read collects and repairs used and new books and then distributes them free of charge to children. Children Read is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Children Read is a federally approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
The Challenge:
One of the biggest obstacles to literacy is the scarcity of books in the homes of low-income families. Early exposure to books is so important for developing prerequisite literacy skills, and strong reading skills correlate highly with later school success. Therefore, Children Read collects books to give to pre-kindergarten children attending Title 1 schools, Sheltering Arms, Head Start and other programs for low-income families.
Parent and Child Literacy:
Children Read seeks to encourage family reading. Research has shown that adults with low literacy levels can improve their own reading skills as well as that of their children through active family reading. One of the goals is to help break the cycle of poor literacy from generation to generation.
How Children Read Happened:
Marlene Zeiler has spent her entire adult life sharing her passion for reading with others. She attended Mount Holyoke College and graduated from Stanford University. After marrying an academic psychologist, his career took them from Wellesley College to the University of Iowa, and then (with four children) to Emory University. Her professional life began in a Massachusetts behavioral program teaching severely developmentally disabled institutionalized adults many skills including reading. In Iowa, she worked for the Office of Equal Opportunity in a Goodwill program and taught several adults to read. At the Georgia Retardation Center, she did the same with four-year old children. She also trained teachers in behavioral skills, and continued to do that at Georgia Regional Hospital. In 1979, Marlene left the world of teaching and training in order to start Tall Tales Book Shop, an independent book store, which she owned and operated and ultimately sold in 2013. Then, inspired by the Children's Book Bank in Portland, Oregon, a pioneer in distributing free books to low-income pre-school children, she started Children Read to perform the same service in Atlanta. The goal is to collect gently worn or new pre-kindergarten children's books and to get them in the hands of low-income families who would not have books otherwise.
Marlene remains on our Board of Directors as Founder and Past President.
Board Members:
Cindy Jaret, Past President
Cindy is a retired pre-school teacher who taught for 15 years in public and private schools in Atlanta. Cindy has a BSin Elementary Education from Cleveland State University and claims ‘Kiddie Lit’ as her favoriteclass. Throughout her teaching career, Cindy spent many hours in her local library searching forbooks for her classes. She showed her young students that books can be for learning, for comfort and for fun. Cindy was President of Children Read from March 2021 - May 2026. In addition to remaining on the Board, Cindy will continue as a reader in the classrooms.
Marla Johnson
Marla has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia, a Post-Baccalaureate in Early Childhood Education from Agnes Scott College, and a Master's in Urban Teacher Leadership from Georgia State University.
In 2018, Marla hosted a book drive for Children Read in conjunction with the book fair at her children's pre-school and she's been involved ever since! Marla, a native Atlantan, is a former elementary school teacher; she taught for 11 years in Atlanta Public Schools.
Dr. Cindy Kennedy Reedy
Cindy has an Ed.D. Special Education, an
M.S. in Child Development and Family Relations and a B.S. Psychology/Personnel Management.
As former Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Arcadia University in Philadelphia, Dr. Cindy Kennedy Reedy’s professional career focus was on special education, development of the young child, and communication practices between families and early childcare providers. When she moved to Atlanta in 2015, this passion led her to volunteer with Children Read and to assist with its mission. Reading and donating books to young children, their teachers, and their school libraries is a powerful game changer in the fight for literacy.
Meet Our President:
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SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION....
Cortnei Bruce, President
Cortnei has a BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design and works as a graphic designer and illustrator — the same craft that goes into every book Children Read distributes. She has volunteered throughout her life, with a focus on organizations that promote community engagement, learning, and the protection of our environment. Drawn to the clarity of Children Read's mission, she signed up as a volunteer in 2023 and steps into the role of President as Cindy Jaret concludes her tenure. Cortnei believes widespread literacy is a public good that lifts every community, and that the books a child holds before kindergarten can shape the rest of their life.
Laure Cohen, Treasurer
Laure has a finance degree from the University of Georgia and spent almost forty years as the
controller for a family-owned communications company in south Georgia. Laure and her husband recently retired and moved to Atlanta to be near family and old friends! She enjoys volunteering with Children Read Atlanta and serving as a co-teacher for adults learning English as a second language.
Jill Jones
Jill has a BA from Fisk University and an M. Ed. from University of Virginia. She is a mother of two Chamblee High graduates and an educator of more than 40 years. Since 1998, Jill has owned and operated a tutoring center, Reading Phonics Math & More, formerly in Stone Mountain, now in-home and virtual since 2014. Her passion is helping children learn to read and comprehend what they are reading, while educating parents with examples to support their child(ren)’s efforts.
Al Wiseman
Al grew up in the inner city of Detroit, MI where he developed a love of reading and books as a child. He understands that exposing children to books and developing a love of reading at an early age has the power to change the direction of a child’s life. He is dedicated to supporting children’s literacy in the Atlanta community. Al has a BA from Wayne State University in Business
Administration. He is a professional speaker, trainer and master storyteller.