Idaho Commission for Libraries

Celebrate El Dia de los Ninos - Children's Day on April 30

We are tracking celebrations in Idaho. If your library, school or community group plans a celebration, we'd like to know about it.

Order free support materials. The Idaho Commission for Libraries' Read to Me Project has free support materials that you can order for your events reaching children and families. Print the form, fill it out and fax it to us. Many of these items are available in a bilingual (English/Spanish) format, including:

• Library coloring book (bilingual)
• Read doorhanger (read in 14 languages)
• Bookmarks with reading suggestions for age groups: baby, toddler, preschool, early elementary (available in English or in Spanish)
• Spanish language nursery rhymes (in Spanish only)

See what Idaho celebrations are planned for 2008.

Find resources to help you plan your celebration:

• Fact sheet
• The Association for Library Services (ALSC) is the national home for El Día.
• Visit El Dia's founder and author Pat Mora's website.
• Sample proclamation

Other resources:

• Celebration Ideas
• See How Idaho Communities Celebrated in past years
• Resources
• Multicultural Literature

Read to Me, a project of the Idaho Commission for Libraries

History of El Dia de los Ninos

Idaho is the first state in the nation to have an official Children’s Day. A bill that names April 30 as Children’s Day — or El Día de los Niños — won legislative approval in the Senate on March 11, 2003. House Bill 259 was signed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne on March 20, 2003 and became effective July 1, 2003! This is now a permanent observance.

Throughout Latin America, children are honored on a special day of the year. In most Latin American countries El Día de los Niños (Day of the Child) is celebrated on April 30th. This day is set aside to value and uplift children. Children’s days are celebrated in other nations, including Japan and Korea on May 5, Canada on November 20, Turkey on April 23 and Mexico on April 30.

As a way of introducing the importance of bilingual literacy within the Latino community, organizations such as REFORMA and the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) have co-sponsored this initiative by linking the El Día del Niños celebration to books, libraries and reading; thus, the expanded title Día de Los Niños/Día de Los Libros (Day of the Children, Day of the Books).

This is a day to celebrate the joys and wonders of childhood and the importance of books in our lives. As author Pat Mora said, "Let’s make April 30th a day for remembering the power of words and of books in the lives of all our young people. One in five children in this country come from a home in which a language other than English is the home language. By honoring these languages, we celebrate our linguistic and cultural wealth."

Many Idaho libraries and their community partners have been celebrating El Día de los Niños the past few years, including those in American Falls, Blackfoot, Buhl, Caldwell, Hailey, Idaho City, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Nampa, and Pocatello.

A handbook has been developed to help you plan your El Día celebration: www.gccfc.idaho.gov/documents/dayofthechildhandbook.pdf (a 23-page PDF file)

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