The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading this afternoon recognized two organizations – Sesame Workshop and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – as  Pacesetter Partners for their contributions to improving third-grade reading proficiency.

Sesame Workshop was honored at a gathering Sunday for its work for putting a focus on the important role of parents in nurturing early literacy. “For more than 40 years, Sesame Workshop and its flagship program Sesame Street have been synonymous with early learning,” said GLR managing director Ralph Smith. “We are truly honored and deeply appreciative to be associated with the distinctive brand and special history of this remarkable organization. There can be little doubt that the support of Sesame Workshop provided a valuable early boost for our successful launch and rollout.”

Sesame Street characters have not been content to sit on the sidelines. Rosita traveled to Sacramento, California, to stand beside Mayor Kevin Johnson celebrating the launch of Sacramento Reads. Similarly, Zoe was front and center at the National Civic League’s All-America City Awards Program in Denver applauding the inaugural convening of the Grade-Level Reading Communities Network.

Not to be outdone, Elmo persuaded Gordon to join him in a video conversation about why it is so important to help young children learn to read.

IMLS was recognized for its decision to invest more than $6.8 million in grants for museum and libraries promoting learning from birth through third grade, with a particular emphasis on preparing young children for school and on making summer a time of learning.

The federal agency also provided “how to” guidance for promoting early learning through the 2013 publication Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners. And IMLS has helped foster collaboration among federal agencies and nonprofit organizations to promote early language and literacy development in high-risk communities.

“We know that literacy must be nurtured from birth and that schools can’t do this alone,” Smith said. “Parents, caregivers and the broader community have a vital role to play. And trusted community institutions are ideally suited to rally those efforts and provide the settings, tools and supports to make sure that every child has a chance to learn to read well. IMLS’s successful effort to connect the GLR Campaign to libraries and museums across the nation places it among the Campaign’s most valued partners.”

The GLR Campaign has also awarded Pacesetter Honors to local and state-level coalitions