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Captioning, also known as Same Language Subtitling (SLS), has a proven track record of improving literacy for learners of all ages.

Our mission at Captions for Literacy is to spread awareness of this free and simple tool to parents, educators, and anyone trying to help someone improve their reading skills!

On this site, you can find out how to turn on captioning on your device, learn more about the research supporting the use of captioning, see where to find captioned videos, and get files you can print out to spread the word. If there are other resources that you would find helpful to support your use of captioning, please let us know!

Parents

We know that many of you are concerned that your kids are spending too much time in front of the TV. The good news is, studies have shown that watching as little as a few minutes of captioned educational videos a couple of times a week can help kids recognize more words when they read. So you don't need to increase the amount of time your kids spend watching TV -- just turn on the captioning when they do!

Captioning is especially helpful for improving the literacy skills of struggling or reluctant readers. You can use one of the captioned video libraries on our Where page to find videos that match up with the subjects they're currently studying in school and watch them with your child. Talk about the new vocabulary words you heard and saw in the video. TheyÕll recognize more of the key terms in their lessons at school and also retain more of the content of the video.

Teachers

We know that between standardized testing, the Common Core, and funding cuts, you're under increasing pressure to do more with less. We're not trying to sell you anything or get you to change how you teach to match the latest fad. All you need to do is turn on the captioning when you show videos to your students. It's an easy, quick, and free way to help reach your literacy goals. Encourage your students' parents to turn them on at home, too!