• Realities of Low Literacy in the U.S.

  • How Low Literacy Begins

    • 61% of low income families do not have children’s books in their homes.
    • Low income children enter school having heard an average of 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers.
    • 50% of children who did not have adequate pre-literacy skills when they started kindergarten will not be proficient readers by 4th grade.
    • Children with low literacy skills in 4th grade are at the greatest risk of not graduating from high school.

  • Results of Low Literacy

    • 43% of people with low literacy live in poverty.
    • 70% of people with low literacy don’t have full time jobs.
    • 85% of all juvenile offenders have trouble reading.
    • 70% of all prison inmates have low literacy skills.

  • Cost of Low Literacy

    • The annual health cost of low literacy levels is more than $106 billion.
      Poor health outcomes and high costs are linked with low literacy rates.
    • The annual cost of low literacy to the US economy is $225 billion.
      Non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment are all linked to low literacy rates.