Reading Makes an Impact

When I was a child, my family spent two weeks of every summer at my Uncle Ken’s house in Traverse City.  Getting ready for the trip was quite a production, my favorite part of which was a visit to the local book store.  Every year my sister and I would get to pick out several new books to take on our vacation with us.  Coming from a family of voracious readers had made me become a big reader myself, so getting new books was a huge treat.  The problem was that we weren’t allowed to read any of them until we actually arrived at my uncle’s house.  For me this was absolute torture.  To know that I had a stack of brand-new Babysitter’s Club or Sweet Valley High books that I couldn’t touch for several more days was beyond cruel.  Now, looking back, and knowing what I’ve learned about the importance of reading, I actually feel blessed that my parents taught me to be so excited about reading that I got angry when I couldn’t do it.  I have no doubt that instilling that in me at a young age gave me a huge academic and social advantage, and eventually helped me become the successful person that I am today.

But unfortunately, not all children grow up with that same opportunity. Studies show that immersing a child in a literacy rich environment from birth can be a stronger predictor of academic achievement than family income.  I was floored the first time I read that statement in a research article.  Nationally, almost 40% of 4th graders aren’t reading at grade level, yet our child poverty rate is 18%.  Clearly income alone is not the only factor contributing to poor reading skills.

Other statistics that show the long-term impact of early literacy, or lack thereof, are equally staggering:

• Children who lack early literacy skills are less likely to succeed as adults
• Over 70% of inmates in America’s prisons cannot read above a 4th grade level
• More than 75% of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers, and 60% of prison inmates are illiterate
• Children who enter Kindergarten developmentally behind their peers will most likely never catch up – in fact, they are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out of school in later years
• 75% of students who are poor readers in 3rd grade will remain poor readers in high school
   

But if we could create a community where every child is building early literacy skills and ultimately reading at grade level, then we could increase graduation rates, decrease unemployment rates, and decrease the number of people in prison.  Studies have proven all of this to be true.

So how do we do this?  One way is to spend at least 15 minutes each day reading to our kids.  Another way is to enroll children in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.  Developed by Dolly Parton in 1995, the Imagination Library provides free books to young children so that they can build their own personal library.  Each month, from the day a child is born until his or her fifth birthday, a carefully selected book arrives in the mail addressed to the child.  United Way of Southwest Michigan is proud to provide this program free of charge to all young children that live in Berrien and Cass Counties.

Jacqueline Kennedy said, “There are many little ways to enlarge a child’s world.  Love of books is the best of all.”  The love of reading that my parents instilled in me is something that I hope to pass on to my children.  I know that it’s one of the best gifts I could ever give them.  And the next time my 5-year-old gets angry with me because he wants to read just one more book, I might just oblige him.