This is a sponsored post to raise awareness about the Spread the Word campaign.
Did you know that 250 million of the world’s 650 million primary school age children are unable to read or write? This statistic comes from a recent report commissioned by UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and demonstrates that we have a long way to go as a nation.
As a parent and former classroom teacher, I’ve worked hard to instill a love of reading in my children and former students. Finding books that matched the interests of my most reluctant first grade readers, guiding kids through activities to increase their vocabulary in daily lessons, and using book points from Scholastic Book Orders to ensure that each child had a just-right-for-them book at home to read were all part of my normal routine as a first grade teacher to help my students learn to love reading.
I taught at a Title I school, meaning that a majority of my kids came from low-income families. While we know literacy is a fundamental skill in education, career, and life, recent statistics about children from low-income families and neighborhoods continue demonstrate how far we need to go as a nation:
- In low-income neighborhoods, there is only one book for every 300 children, which has a direct impact on academic success.
- Children from low-income families lack early interactions that lead to language development including being read to and access to books in the home. New data shows children from low-income families have one-fourth the vocabulary of children from wealthier homes.
- Thirty-four million adults function at below basic literacy levels, meaning they are unable to complete simple literacy tasks such as filling out a job application, filling out a deposit slip or reading a prescription label.
To increase literacy among underserved communities, McGraw Hill Education (MHE) is teaming up with the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), which has helped more than 1 million families make educational and economic progress through family literacy programs. The collaborative “Spread the Word” campaign is designed to benefit the nonprofit and the families it serves.
The call to action is simple. For each new Twitter follower McGraw Hill Education gains throughout the month of March (@MHEducation), they will donate $1.00 to the NCFL (@NCFL). Follow @MHEducation and donate $1 now!
Follow the hashtag #MHEmarchlit to learn interesting statistics, find relevant articles, and discover reading programs such as Reading Wonders that helps students become strong readers, critical thinkers and ready for the increasingly competitive global economy.
