Many children are not ready to read

In the United States, one out of three children start kindergarten without the skills needed to learn how to read (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Sixty-five percent of American public school fourth graders missed the mark for reading proficiency in 2019 (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

Children that get behind, tend to stay behind

If a child is a poor reader by the first grade, they are nearly ninety percent likely to remain a poor reader by the fourth grade (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)

The likelihood of dropping out of high school is four times greater for children whose reading isn’t up to par by the end of third grade (Annie E. Casey Foundation)

Low-income communities are disproportionately impacted

13 Letters

By age five, the average child from a low-income family can recognize 9 letters, while children from middle-income families can recognize 22

1 Book

In low-income neighborhoods, there is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children, while middle-income communities have 13 books for every child

4 in 5

Among the preschool and afterschool programs serving low-income communities, 4 in 5 have zero age-appropriate books for students

2 Years

If a child belongs to a low-income community, they are 50% likely to start first grade up to 2 years behind their classmates

975 Hours

On average, children from middle-income households have at least 1,000 hours of storytime, whereas children from low-income families only receive 25 hours

6 Tenths

Slightly over 60% of low-income households have no age-appropriate books for children to read

30 Million Words

Children from low-income households are exposed to 30 million fewer words relative to their affluent peers on average

80 Percent

Nearly 80% of children from low-income households read below proficiency between first and third grade

Hope Remains: Potential Interventions (Updating Soon)

  • Bolstering parental literacy

    • Beginner book clubs at libraries

  • Spreading awareness about the importance of early literacy

    • Educating parents on the importance of creating a literacy-rich environment

  • Increasing access to books

    • Investments in libraries

    • Book distribution programs

  • Consistent monitoring of early literacy skill development

    • Early detection and intervention for problem areas

References

Brizius, J. A., & Foster S. A. (1993). Generation to Generation: Realizing the Promise of Family Literacy. High/Scope Press.

Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p. 31

Neuman, Susan B., et al. Access for All: Closing the Book Gap for Children in Early Education. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2001, p. 3

Reading Literacy in the United States: Findings from the IEA Reading Literacy Study. (1996).