The Asia Foundation President’s Visit to Mongolia Kindergarten Spotlights Early Literacy and Foundational Learning 

Ulaanbaatar, May 26, 2026—The Asia Foundation President and CEO Laurel E. Miller recently visited a public kindergarten in Mongolia to see firsthand how early literacy initiatives are helping strengthen the foundational language, cognitive, and socio-emotional skills critical to children’s early learning and long-term development.     

The visit highlighted the impact of the Let’s Read Mongolia initiative, implemented by The Asia Foundation in partnership with Mongolia’s Ministry of Education and supported by the Lorinet Foundation. Since 2025, the partnership has supported efforts to strengthen the use of reading and children’s books in early childhood education, helping young children develop foundational skills and enter school ready to learn.    

The visit also underscored the importance of collaboration among schools, families, communities, and education institutions in helping children build strong foundations for lifelong learning. During her time at Kindergarten No. 35, one of the project’s partner schools, Miller met with teachers, parents, and caregivers and joined in a Storytime session with young learners.     

Let’s Read Mongolia combines teacher training, caregiver engagement, access to children’s books, public awareness campaigns, and policy collaboration to help strengthen Mongolia’s early literacy ecosystem. The initiative has also supported national efforts to integrate read-aloud methodologies into Mongolia’s preschool education curriculum.

To date, the initiative has:  

• strengthened the capacity of more than 7,200 kindergarten teachers to implement effective read-aloud methodologies;  
• reached more than 100,000 parents and caregivers through early literacy awareness activities;  
• engaged more than 11,000 children nationwide through Storytime sessions; and
• supported the creation of 273 Mongolian-language children’s books through the Let’s Read digital library.

Educators and families participating in the program report stronger engagement with books among children, increased caregiver participation in reading activities, and noticeable improvements in children’s language development and socio-emotional growth.    

Through the initiative, teachers have received training in interactive read-aloud methodologies designed to make classroom learning more engaging and developmentally supportive for young children. The project has also worked closely with parents and caregivers to strengthen understanding of the importance of reading from an early age and to encourage reading activities at home.    

Launched in 2021, Let’s Read Mongolia promotes reading as a critical tool for supporting early childhood development during children’s formative years, contributing to improved literacy and numeracy outcomes among Mongolian primary school children.