“Communities that Read”, a plan that aims to transform Chile’s educational future

With CMPC tutors taking part, this ambitious plan seeks to address the reading crisis in Chilean children, empowering parents and caregivers as key educators.

Given that figures indicate 96% of Chilean first graders do not know the letters of the alphabet, CMPC Companies Chairman Francisco Ruiz-Tagle and CMPC Foundation Executive Director Carolina Andueza presented the “Communities that Read” Literacy Emergency Plan on Friday July 28.

“Communities that Read, is an initiative that seeks to address the national literacy emergency by providing tools to parents and caregivers in their role as children’s primary educators,” said Carolina.

The Literacy Emergency Plan envisages the incorporation of company tutors; i.e., CMPC collaborators who commit one morning per month to train parents in the community who will then teach their children how to read.

The first territories to receive plan support are the ones nearby the industrial facilities or company buildings with a special focus on those with the worst educational results in the last SIMCE test scores, such as Estación Central and Puente Alto in the central region, and Los Angeles, Laja, Mulchén, Villa Mininco and Nacimiento in southern Chile.