The Los Angeles Times Reading by 9 program has worked to address the child literacy crisis in Southern California since 1998. Each year, The Times publishes its bilingual Parent Reading Guide aimed at helping kindergarten through third-grade students read at the appropriate level by age nine, a crucial indicator of future success. This valuable learning tool is distributed in English and Spanish to parents, educators, nonprofit organizations and libraries free of charge. The comprehensive guide, which is also made available online at latimes.com/readingby9, includes features such as reading tips and book recommendations from experts, book reviews by kids for kids and community resource information. Offered exclusively by The Times, more than 1.5 million copies of the Parent Reading Guide are distributed annually.