A global prize competition to source books in languages children use and understand.

With a mission devoted to ensuring all children have access to books, All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GDC) collaborated with the Global Book Alliance (GBA) to launch the Begin With Books Prize, a competition challenging global innovators to assemble cost-effective packages of high quality, accessible titles in underserved spoken and signed languages.

Beginning with books

From 2011 through 2023, ACR GCD provided more than 1.3 million early grade reading materials in 89 languages, including sign languages. These materials have reached more than 600,000 children around the globe, including those with print disabilities. ACR GCD funded more than 80 innovative edtech solutions and approaches and contributed more than 20 research and evaluation reports on the impact of edtech on improving child literacy in low-resource contexts. 

Winning innovators uploaded their titles to the Global Digital Library (GDL), another GBA flagship initiative launched in partnership with the the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.

We can ensure more children are prepared to reach their full potential—while simultaneously accelerating progress across multiple global development goals. 

All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development

All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (2011-2023) was a partnership of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Vision, and the Australian Government that advanced edtech innovation and research to improve reading outcomes for marginalized children in low-resource contexts. 

ACR GCD was a founding member of GBA’s steering committee. ACR GCD’s mission was rooted in sourcing new solutions, testing new ideas and scaling what works, accomplished through a series of grant and prize competitions that fund the most promising innovations and approaches for improving early grade reading.