CLiF’s mission is to inspire a love of reading and writing among low-income, at-risk, and rural children in New Hampshire and Vermont. Why is developing a lifelong love of literacy so important? If kids enjoy reading and writing, they’re more likely to do it often, and research shows that there are many academic, social-emotional, socioeconomic, and professional advantages to being exposed to books from an early age.
- 1 in 6 young adults drop out of high school each year. The Annie E. Casey Foundation finds that students not reading proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.
- Children who develop strong literacy skills before kindergarten are more likely to do better in school than those who do not.
- 43% of adults with low literacy skills live in poverty.
- 45 million adults cannot read above a fifth-grade reading level.
- More than 60% of incarcerated adults are considered functionally illiterate.
The above statistics pertain to the U.S.
