An Overview
Clearly, the value of education and the ability to access quality education is a key factor in becoming a successful and productive citizen. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a college education, even with a two-year degree, increases weekly income potential by hundreds of dollars over someone who does not graduate from high school. It is critical that children have the ability to access college and use the power of knowledge to excel in life. Child literacy is extremely important when it comes to doing well in school and transferring into the real world.
According to the World Literacy Foundation, there are 7.9 million low-income children, birth through age 8 in the United States. If current trends hold true, 83%, or 6.6 million of these children, are at increased risk of dropping out of high school because they can’t read proficiently by fourth grade. Out of our 70% who fall into this low-income category, that means 68% of our children are destined to fall behind if we don’t intervene on their behalf. When kids remain illiterate they can fall into a cycle of poverty with very restrictive opportunities in regards to functioning in society.
The World Literacy Foundation also states that the lack of sufficient opportunities for employment leads to higher chances of poor health, turning to crime, and a dependance upon social welfare or charity. It is estimated that the cost of illiteracy to the global economy is around USD $1.2 trillion.
The Pandemic's Impact
It is evident that the pandemic has had a massive impact on education all throughout the globe. The World Literacy Foundations writes, "The COVID-19 crisis has shed light on the unpreparedness of infrastructure, education systems, programs, and people for ensuring the continuity of teaching and learning in such a situation". It is more difficult than ever to provide kids with proper education in order to combat global illiteracy.
How Can I help?
In times of need, it's great to give back! Here are some ways to help:
-donate to the World Literacy Foundation here
-organize a fundraiser to help eradicate child illiteracy, click here for some help
-create a local book drive and give back to underprivileged communities (it's sometimes easier to tackle local literacy rates before moving to global)
-donate some books to the dinnertabletalk's book drive! We will be hosting a book drive every other Sunday until early May. Check out our instagram for more details :)
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