Because literacy means access to opportunities for life.

21% of adults in America are illiterate.

There are 45 million adults in the United States alone who cannot read. That is more than 5 times the population of New York City. If a child is not reading at grade level by fourth grade, they are statistically likely to remain illiterate throughout their life. Not only do struggling readers experience higher levels of stress and feelings of isolation during their school years, but they also have a dramatically increased chance of dropping out of high school and entering the criminal justice system. Adults who cannot read also experience worse health outcomes and longer-term poverty than those who are literate.

But access to effective literacy intervention means education, income, and health - especially for children from low-income families.

Literacy impacts every part of life.

Education

60% of low-income families have no children’s books in the home. 70% of children whose parents have low literacy will likely be at the lowest reading levels in their grade. Nearly 70% of fourth-graders in the USA read below grade level. 82% of these children are from low-income homes. A child who is a poor reader at the end of first grade has a 90% chance of being a poor reader at the end of fourth grade. A child who has not learned to read well by the end of fourth grade is dramatically more likely to drop out of high school.

Income

The relationship between educational attainment and employment is proven. Over 40% of adults with the lowest literacy levels live in poverty. 17% of Hispanic people and 21% percent of African Americans live in poverty which is much higher than the national average. Racial discrimination impacts people’s employment opportunities. Opportunities are further reduced with low literacy levels in applicants.

Crime

Children who are not reading well by fourth grade are three times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system than their literate peers. 75% of prison inmates have low literacy or dropped out of high school. 85% of youth offenders struggle to read.

Health

Studies show that low literacy is linked to problems with the use of preventive services, delayed diagnosis, ability to adhere to medical instructions, as well as health insurance complications. A study by Harvard University found that people who had at least 12 years of education had a life span a year and a half longer than those with less education.