§ 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.