Educational initiatives promote childhood reading in Chile and Mexico

In Chile, the Fundación de Desarrollo San Antonio Siglo XXI and Codelco División El Teniente have inaugurated a new reading space at Colegio España in Llolleo. Part of the ‘Mi Primer Rincón Lector’ program, the initiative provides high-quality furniture and a curated bibliographic collection to foster literacy from early childhood. The program, which receives technical advisory from the Universidad de Valparaíso, has expanded to include municipal schools and now maintains 21 active reading spaces in the San Antonio area.

In Mexico, Arcos Dorados is utilizing its ‘Cajita Feliz Libros’ initiative to encourage literacy through McDonald’s Happy Meals. Since its inception in 2013, the program has aimed to integrate books into daily family life rather than treating reading solely as a school obligation. Between January 2024 and June 2026, approximately 450,000 books were distributed in Mexico as part of this effort to make literature accessible outside of traditional educational settings.