2026 Día Mini-Grants Winners

• By: REFORMA
• On: 03/16/2026 17:18:15
• In: News & Announcements

Congratulations REFORMA 2026 Día Mini-Grants Winners!

We're excited to announce the 2026 REFORMA Día Mini-Grants award recipients. Winners were selected based on the program's creativity, level of community involvement, and impact of the project as it best highlights Latino/x/é authors, performers, and culture. Each winner will receive $500 to support a Día program.

Woodland Public Library / Gloria Ulloa Rodriguez

Woodland, CA

Día de los Niños/Día del Libro

This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the Día de los Niños/Día del Libro celebration. The Día event celebrates Latino culture, providing free books and live performances for families to enjoy. The highlight is the many tables of books organized and labeled by age group, ranging from baby board books to primary and intermediate grade selections, young adult titles, and bilingual books. In addition to books and literacy activities, we will feature performances from community organizations and the local school district, welcoming the Woodland Joint Unified School District's Ballet Folklórico de Beamer Elementary School, the community-based children's group Vitality Martial Arts, and our first-time participants, Lucha Libro Wrestling. “Lucha Libro” literally means “book fight” and is inspired by lucha libre wrestling with a literary focus. A section of the park will be transformed into a wrestling arena, drawing children and families together in celebration of youth literacy. Professional wrestlers will perform a family friendly skit for children who received free books, reinforcing the message that reading is empowering and fun.

Hood River County Library District / Jasmin Martinez

Hood River, OR

Día del Niño Festival

The activities planned alongside Mid-Valley Elementary PTO for our Día del Niño (DIA) celebration are designed to engage children and families in a fun, culturally enriching, and resource-filled day completely free to all. The event will feature a live Regional Mexican group performance and a live DJ playing Spanish music. Elementary aged children will perform traditional Mexican Baile Folklórico dances. For a touch of fun we will provide a bouncy house, two face painters, and two balloon animal artists. A book themed photo backdrop will be available for families to take pictures and capture smiles on this fun and festive day. In addition, 25 local organizations that provide services and support to children and families will host resource tables. Each organization will offer a kid friendly activity, providing at least 25 additional hands-on activities. Activities include wooden scarves dancing, Make & Take LEGO/Duplo stations, bus magnet decorating, Plinko with prizes, an Instrument Petting Zoo with musical instrument bingo, coloring stations with free dental care items, picture frames with instant photos, kids' gardening activities, temporary glitter tattoos, and more. We will provide free food for children and families including a free meal, popcorn, baked goods and fresh fruit. A raffle of more than 10 prizes for children will be given away. Every child who attends will also receive a free book, available in English, Spanish, and bilingual, to support bilingual literacy.

Carpinteria Community Library / Eric Castro

Carpinteria, CA

Caminos de Cuentos y Colores

“Caminos de Cuentos y Colores” is a vibrant, family-friendly celebration of Latino/x/é culture through storytelling, art, and community engagement. The centerpiece will be a Chalk Art Festival where school-aged children (ages 5–12) will create colorful sidewalk drawings inspired by their favorite Spanish-language picture books. To help participants bring their favorite stories to life, a local artist will teach a hands-on workshop on how to use grids to transfer images from book pages to the sidewalk, encouraging creativity and literacy. In addition to the chalk art, we will host storytelling sessions on blankets in the library's outdoor green space, featuring bilingual storytellers who will share traditional and contemporary Latino/x/é tales. This relaxed setting invites families to immerse themselves in oral traditions and language. The event will also feature live music and cultural performances to celebrate Latino/x/é heritage, creating a festive atmosphere that appeals to all ages. To support our local economy and deepen community ties, we will invite Latino-owned local vendors to showcase crafts, foods, and cultural products. Free, culturally inspired refreshments will be provided to artists and attendees, fostering a welcoming environment that encourages connection and celebration.

Springfield Public Library and History Museum / Kristen Curé

Springfield, OR

El dia del Niño, El día del libro/Children's Day/Book Day

The Springfield Public Library and Museum's Día de los Niños celebration is a free, family-centered cultural event designed to uplift and affirm Latine and Hispanic children and families in our community. We partner with both Comunidad y Herencia Cultural and Springfield's only dual immersion Spanish-language elementary school in producing this event, ensuring it is rooted in traditions widely celebrated across Mexico and throughout Latin America and centering our Spanish-speaking community. This event honors children through culture, creativity, and community connections. The event will feature a full afternoon of culturally relevant programming, including folklórico dance performances representing traditional regions of Mexico, showcasing vibrant costumes and live music, as well as arts and crafts workshops inspired by traditional Mexican and Latin American folk art, where children will create take-home projects that reflect their heritage. Also included is face painting with culturally meaningful designs by members of the community, and leather workshops introducing youth to elements of traditional craftsmanship connected to charro culture. The event also features free bilingual children's books distributed to families to support literacy at home and affirm language and identity, as well as community resource tables where trusted community-based organizations will share information about health, education, wellness, and social services available to Latine and Hispanic families. A central component of our celebration is sharing free, culturally relevant food, ensuring that families can gather, connect and celebrate in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Food removes economic barriers to participation and reinforces the spirit of cultural hospitality.

Jefferson County Public Library / Gloria Perez-Alvarez

Lakewood, CO

Día de la Niños: Book Fiesta

This event will take place at the plaza of the Lakewood Cultural Center (LCC) and is the first time JCPL will host the Dia del Niño event at an outside location. The idea is to host a greater number of people, to make this event a true fiesta! We will have hired presenters, a community resource fair, crafts, and activities for the whole family. We bought 100 copies of “Book Fiesta” by Pat Mora as a giveaway, and our target number of attendees is between 100-150 people. Presenters include magic and juggling, local dancing groups, hip-hop and visual arts, as well as youth Mariachi. The Community Fair includes the Jeffco Public Schools, Americas for the Conservation and the Arts, and Family Tree. Activities will include crafts and giant lawn games. 

REFORMA thanks the 2026 Día Mini-Grants Selection Committee: 

• Ana-Elba Pavon, Semi-Retired/Librarian Daly City Public Library, Serramonte Branch, Daly City CA

• Dr. Sujei Lugo Vázquez, Children's Librarian, Boston Public Library-Connolly Branch, Boston MA

• Jessica Agudelo, Senior Manager Youth Materials Selection, Book Ops, New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library

• Lucia M. Gonzalez, Library Marketing Consultant at Spanish Publishers LLC, Miami FL

• Maria F. Estrella, Founder of Young Diverse Readers, Cleveland OH

The Program Coordinator is Alma Ramos-McDermott, Vice-President/President-Elect REFORMA de Florida; 2025 Elizabeth Martinez Lifetime Achievement Award winner; Mini-Grants Committee Chair. 

We thank everyone who applied for our Día Mini-Grant Program. We received 20 eligible submissions. 

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a daily celebration of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. REFORMA is proud to be a founding partner of Día. 

REFORMA is committed to supporting programming for Latino and Spanish-speaking communities through our Grants Programs. If you'd like to support future Mini-Grants, consider making a donation to REFORMA at reforma.org/donate. 

¡Felicidades a los ganadores!