Week 2 - Early Childhood Literacy
I often have problems conceptualizing grandiose versions of the future when there is so much basic inequality that exists today. For my first topic, I wanted to focus on a oft-overlooked realm of disparity, one that is integral to a person's education: reading ability.
I attended the same private school for thirteen years, remaining tightly insulated in my homogeneous bubble of privilege. I was surrounded by other kids who had the financial and familial support to do relatively well in school. As I got older, I even developed an air of superiority because I enjoyed reading and thought it made me a better, more well-rounded individual. To be fair, it probably did. The issue was in my lack of awareness about the inequitable access to books throughout America, particularly in low-income households.
A crucial benchmark for reading ability is the fourth grade level (e.g. Holes or James and the Giant Peach according to the quick Google search I just did). According to the Literacy Project, kids who are behind at this age are unlikely to ever catch up, which increases their likelihood of dropping out of high school, which then increases their likelihood of being incarcerated, like the world's worst domino effect. 70% of inmates cannot read above the fourth grade level, suggesting that if something is going to be done to help, early childhood will be the best time to do so. So what can we do to get books into the hands of low-income families to jumpstart their children's education and promote a more literate society? Dolly Parton has an answer.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was her pet project to honor her father, Robert Lee Parton, who always felt his illiteracy held him back from being able to fully realize his dreams. Beginning in a single Tennessee county in 1995, their mission was to provide one free book a month to each registered child under the age of five. They have since donated over a hundred million books to children in eight different countries, with an expressed goal of donating a billion books in Dolly's lifetime. In fact, I learned that Albuquerque has its very own chapter, called Libros For Kids! This is a small but deeply impactful way to improve the future. Even though statistics about literacy in the US look bleak, there are good people fighting for equitable education, sometimes even in your own backyard.
I attended the same private school for thirteen years, remaining tightly insulated in my homogeneous bubble of privilege. I was surrounded by other kids who had the financial and familial support to do relatively well in school. As I got older, I even developed an air of superiority because I enjoyed reading and thought it made me a better, more well-rounded individual. To be fair, it probably did. The issue was in my lack of awareness about the inequitable access to books throughout America, particularly in low-income households.
A crucial benchmark for reading ability is the fourth grade level (e.g. Holes or James and the Giant Peach according to the quick Google search I just did). According to the Literacy Project, kids who are behind at this age are unlikely to ever catch up, which increases their likelihood of dropping out of high school, which then increases their likelihood of being incarcerated, like the world's worst domino effect. 70% of inmates cannot read above the fourth grade level, suggesting that if something is going to be done to help, early childhood will be the best time to do so. So what can we do to get books into the hands of low-income families to jumpstart their children's education and promote a more literate society? Dolly Parton has an answer.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was her pet project to honor her father, Robert Lee Parton, who always felt his illiteracy held him back from being able to fully realize his dreams. Beginning in a single Tennessee county in 1995, their mission was to provide one free book a month to each registered child under the age of five. They have since donated over a hundred million books to children in eight different countries, with an expressed goal of donating a billion books in Dolly's lifetime. In fact, I learned that Albuquerque has its very own chapter, called Libros For Kids! This is a small but deeply impactful way to improve the future. Even though statistics about literacy in the US look bleak, there are good people fighting for equitable education, sometimes even in your own backyard.
Prior to reading this post, I had never considered how important literacy is to the future. Being able to read is something I have always taken for granted. Now, looking back on my childhood and educational experiences, I realize how vital literacy was to my progress and everything I've done since then. On top of excellent foundations like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, more programs should be instituted throughout schools to ensure children learn how to read and have access to literature that will develop their skills. The Scholastic book fair now works with a nonprofit organization called Book Trust to provide young students with a stipend that allows them to buy books. More programs like these will undoubtedly help improve child literacy rates, and hopefully reduce the amount of people who never surpass a fourth grade reading level.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fascinating to look at the literacy of inmates but also the amazing work that Dolly has done. I totally didn't even know we had a chapter here in the ABQ.
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