About Us

The Reading Room is a Connecticut based non-profit dedicated to providing access to books and to building a culture of reading in Haiti and elsewhere. We have:

Been working with Haitian Schools for over 30 years.

Used that experience to develop our free library app, which allows schools to get over 3,000 books and other resources into the hands of students.

In the past we have:

Developed portable “flash libraries”, which allowed schools to quickly transform classrooms or lunchrooms into comfortable libraries with 500-1,000 books.

Organized “book camps” where teachers and students came together for a month in the summer to read, write, play learning related games and build their literacy skills.

Provided training to Haitian teachers so they can use books and other library materials more effectively.

Director

Chantal Coutard

Chantal is the director of The Reading Room in Haiti and is responsible for managing libraries at three elementary schools, with a fourth library under development. She is the co-founder and principal of Ecole Préscolaire et Fondamentale (Le Foyer Elementary School) in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. She is also the pedagogical consultant for Ecole Agape elementary school in Lillavois, Haiti and Institution Mixte Baptiste de la Vérité in Cuvier, Haiti. As co-founder of the Team Building Masters Haiti group, she presents communication workshops in schools and universities in Haiti and elsewhere. She earned a bachelor's degree in education in Haiti and a bachelor's degree in nursing from the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec. She has also attended library sciences training in Haiti. She is married, the mother of three boys and has five grand-children. Her motto is: “Dare-Act-Influence”.

Co-founder

Elizabeth Wicks

Elizabeth has worked with Haitian schools since 1996. She is certified as a literacy specialist (reading specialist & language arts consultant, 102, 097), teaching English to speakers of other languages (011, 088) and as an elementary and secondary classroom teacher (grades pre-K, 4-8). She is a graduate of the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut with a masters degree and 6th year certificate in curriculum instruction. Elizabeth is also a graduate of the Florida International University summer Haitian Creole language program and Columbia University Teachers’ College: Literacy Coaching, Whole School Reform and Reading and Writing Workshops. Elizabeth and her husband Paul have two adult children and the best dog ever, Bo Jackson, a Cavalier King Charles/Poodle mix.

Co-founder

Paul Wicks

Paul is a co-founder of The Reading Room and has worked with Haitian schools since 1991. He has a leading role in the development of The Reading Room digital library app, as well as the flash library concept. He has a bachelor's degree in business and master's degree in economics from the University of Connecticut. In 2022 he retired, after a 38-year career in business and technology, to focus on The Reading Room.

Back-End Architect

Michael Wicks

Michael is the son of Elizabeth and Paul and has been contributing to The Reading Room for most of his life, from assembling books for flash libraries to making trips to Haiti with his parents. He is now applying his professional skillset as a software engineer to build, scale, and maintain the backend of The Reading Room app to help get as many digital books into the hands of as many children as possible.

Front-End Architect

Kyle Forgeron

Kyle is the godson of Elizabeth and Paul and works professionally as a software architect. He is responsible for designing, building, and future-proofing the frontend of The Reading Room website and app to make sure they're beautiful, accessible, and intuitive for children and adults alike.