We are proud to announce that the Flamboyan Foundation has been selected as a 2026 Successful Practices Honoree by the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program. Representatives from our team accepted the award at the Literacy Awards Symposium and Recognition event last week in Washington, D.C. The program is sponsored by David M. Rubenstein and the Kislak Family Foundation.
This recognition confirms what we have believed from the very beginning: that solving Puerto Rico’s literacy crisis requires more than just good intentions. It requires technical expertise, rigorous evidence, and an unwavering commitment to the children who need it most.
“In Puerto Rico, we work in all 78 municipalities of the archipelago because we believe literacy is a right, not a privilege. The fact that the Library of Congress has recognized our work confirms that our collective effort is making a difference,” said Carlos Rodríguez Silvestre, Executive Director of the Flamboyan Foundation in Puerto Rico.
For nearly 20 years, Flamboyan has built deep expertise in K-3 literacy. That expertise led to the development of the ¡Todos a Leer! Roadmap, an evidence-based framework that defines Essential Literacy Practices for the classroom and recommends policies for the education system. We developed it in collaboration with researchers including Dr. Nell K. Duke (University of Michigan), Dr. Paola Andrea Guerrero Rosada, and Harvard University’s ProLeer. It was designed based on and for the context of Puerto Rico, in partnership with Puerto Rican teachers.
And we knew that launching the Roadmap alone wasn’t enough. It’s why in 2022, Flamboyan called for the creation of the ¡Todos a Leer! Coalition, a multisector effort that brings together 81 member organizations to coordinate, scale, and sustain action aligned with the Roadmap because advancing literacy across Puerto Rico is a shared responsibility. And it’s working: since 2022, we have trained nearly 2,000 teachers in the Essential Practices through the Literacy Academy, multiple public policy recommendations have been adopted and are being implemented by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and most importantly, students are growing. Last year, students taught by teachers who had been trained in the Essential Practices were 17% more likely to demonstrate reading fluency than similar students.
“This recognition reflects nearly 20 years of Flamboyán’s sustained investment in Puerto Rico’s education system. But more than celebrating the past, it reminds us why we remain committed: every child in Puerto Rico deserves the opportunity to read, learn, and thrive. The Flamboyán Foundation will continue to drive this important work across Puerto Rico,” said Kristin Ehrgood, CEO of the Flamboyán Foundation.
These results and this recognition belong to everyone who made them possible: the teachers who changed their teaching methods, the families who read with their children at home, and the partners who chose to commit to prioritizing literacy across multiple sectors. And this is only the beginning. The road ahead is still long, but we have never been better prepared to travel it together.
If you’re interested in learning more about El Mapa De Ruta Todos a Leer, please visit our website.