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Children of Incarcerated Adults (ChIA)

Connecting Incarcerated Parents and Children Through Books

The ChIA program helps incarcerated adults maintain meaningful connections with their children through literacy. By building confidence around reading and sharing stories, CLiF supports families in staying emotionally connected despite physical separation and encourages the practice of reading together—at home and from afar.

A smiling child and caregiver share a colorful book, engaging in playful reading together.

A man and a girl are reading a book together at a table.

Four individuals in green uniforms write at a table with various books and educational materials.

A child and an adult share a book, focused on the illustrations together.

A speaker presents to an audience of women, seated and listening attentively.

Activities and Support

Participating facilities receive a range of literacy-focused supports, including:

Storytelling presentations for incarcerated adults and their children during visiting programs

Book giveaways, allowing parents and grandparents to select new books to send home as gifts and children to choose books during visits

Parent literacy discussions that offer practical strategies for reading with children and why reading together is important

Read-aloud audio recordings, enabling parents and children to share stories even when visits are not possible

A speaker presents books to an audience in a literacy program setting.

Current Correctional Facility Partners

CLiF currently works in multi-year partnership with the following facilities:

  • Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (Women’s), South Burlington, VT

  • Marble Valley Correctional Facility, Rutland, VT

  • Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility, Berlin, NH

  • New Hampshire State Prison for Men, Concord, NH

  • New Hampshire State Prison for Women, Concord, NH

Storybook Programs

CLiF supports storybook programs by donating children’s books that incarcerated parents can send home to their children, along with audio recordings of themselves reading the stories aloud. These programs provide a powerful way for families to share moments of connection and routine, even across distance.

Research shows that participation in storybook programs helps strengthen family bonds and is associated with improved reentry outcomes, including increased likelihood that parents remain at home following release.

Have Any Questions?

For questions about ChIA, please contact CLiF Program Manager Jane Brown at jana@clifonline.org.