MOTHEREAD, Inc. is a national, private nonprofit organization that combines the teaching of literacy skills with child development and family empowerment. MOTHEREAD designs and develops its curricula based on carefully chosen multicultural children's literature. The story is used to teach reading, writing, communication and critical thinking skills. Adults learn to be story readers, writers and tellers in a group structure that supports their own sense of worth and ability and encourages parents to be reading role models for their children. "Story-sharing" classes for children provide a structured environment to foster creative thinking, nurture a love of books and aid in developing comprehension skills. In partnership with the North Carolina Humanities Council (NCHC), MOTHEREAD's training and technical assistance is provided to educators and family service professionals from a variety of agencies and locations. Through this partnership with NCHC, certified instructors currently are implementing MOTHEREAD's approach and curriculum in 54 of North Carolina's 100 counties, in 12 other states and in the Virgin Islands. For example, working with a variety of social service and education agencies, two of MOTHEREAD's afffiliates, the California Council for the Humanities and the Minnesota Humanities Commission, provide MOTHEREAD/FATHEREAD programs in their respective communities. In Wake County, North Carolina, the national office provides a variety of direct literacy services to parents and children in collaboration with departments of social services, health and corrections; the local school system; community-based agencies; local and county governments; child abuse prevention programs and preschool programs.