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1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read.
As of 2011, America was the only free-
Literacy is a learned skill. Illiteracy is passed down from parents who can neither read nor write.
Nearly 85 percent 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 percent of all inmates are functionally illiterate.
53 percent of 4th graders admitted to reading recreationally “almost every day,” while only 20 percent of 8th graders could say the same. (2009 study)
75 percent of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90 percent of high school dropouts are on welfare.
Teenage girls ages 16 to 19 who live at or below the poverty level and have below average literacy skills are 6 times more likely to have children out of wedlock than the girls their age who can read proficiently.
Reports show that low literacy directly costs the healthcare industry over $70 million every year.
30% of Columbia County's population falls within the lowest literacy level
4000+ of our residents do not have a high school diploma
4000+ of our residents cannot read a newspaper or a book
Less than 10% of our population is receiving the help they need
Sources: Huffington Post, Begin to Read, RIF, SCI Learn