Partner organization
Cirandar – Instituto de Leitura e Literatura
Territory / Region
Porto Alegre city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil
Support Period
2025 – 2026
Cirandar – Instituto de Leitura e Literatura is an organization based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, dedicated to promoting reading, literature, education, arts, and culture among children, young people, and their families.
With the support of Instituto Tecendo Infâncias and in partnership with the Porto Alegre Municipal Department of Education (SMED), Tecendo Infâncias com a Leitura Project (Weaving Childhoods With Reading) was launched in 2025. Its overall objective is to strengthen reading facilitation practices, expand literary collections, improve reading environments, and train educators, supporting the formation of readers from early childhood.
The project has strengthened Cirandar’s institutional capacity and expanded its territorial presence through a methodology structured in progressive stages. In the first phase, a seminar was held with representatives of 89 community-based early childhood education centers in Porto Alegre, addressing key themes related to fostering reading in early childhood.
In the second phase, 10 institutions were selected to participate in Cirandar’s cultural incubator. The process included broad outreach, an open application period, and selection criteria such as community impact and pedagogical innovation, ensuring transparency and territorial equity, with support from SMED.
The third phase involved conducting an institutional diagnosis to understand collections, team profiles, and local realities of each school. This was followed by mentoring cycles and ongoing training focused on planning, implementing, and coordinating reading initiatives. Upon completing the incubator graduation process, each school will receive a Seed Award to support the continuation of its reading initiatives.
At the same time, the final phase began with the implementation of Reading Spaces in the 10 participating schools. These spaces include age-appropriate furnishings and curated book collections. They also offer guided reading activities for children and their families, led by Cirandar’s trained facilitators.
Through these actions, the project engages educators, families, and the public education system in recognition of reading as part of everyday life, strengthening bonds, valuing diversity, and creating sustainable legacies.
Additionally, the transparent selection process and SMED’s engagement expand the potential for continuity and for replication, positioning the project as a model of structural support with systemic impact, capable of transforming school and family practices related to reading.
With the completion of the third phase and the implementation of Reading Spaces, these new spaces are expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026.
“I had the privilege of being involved in every stage of the Weaving Childhoods Through Reading project and witnessing its significance. It reaches not only the teachers and teaching assistants who participate in the training, but also the schools, the broader school community, families, and children. It is a comprehensive initiative that strengthens both professional development and reading environments, creating welcoming and engaging spaces for reading. Its impact is multiplied as educators apply what they have learned through Cirandar within their own schools, share it with their colleagues, and extend its benefits to families.”
Fabiana Souza Reading Mediator