Five Facts About the Literacy Crisis

Literacy is quite possibly one of the most important skills someone can have. If you couldn’t read, you wouldn’t be able to write texts and emails, read instructions, or navigate the internet! Keep reading for 5 facts about the literacy crisis.

 

1. Reading is important. Research proves that reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not. This is regardless of parents’ income, academic or cultural background.

2. Literacy saves lives. According to UNESCO, improvements in women’s education explained half of the reduction in child deaths in the past twenty years. Mothers who are educated are more likely to have their children vaccinated, and more likely to send them to school.

3. Nearly 85% of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60% of all inmates are functionally illiterate.

4. According to the National Education Association, “twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.”

5. YOU can help! By donating new or gently used children’s books, you can help to increase the number of books that at-risk children have at home. By 2017, Bernie’s Book Bank will have sourced, processed, and distributed nearly 11 MILLION books. To learn about more ways that you can help our mission, click here.