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Did you know? Middle-income neighborhoods have 13 books for every 1 child, but low-income neighborhoods have 1 book for every 300 children. This is a fact that many of you are probably familiar with. But here are some other facts that may be a little harder to swallow…
– Students who don’t read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times more likely to drop out of school.
– 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. (Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.)
– 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read.
– As of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country where the current generation was less educated than the previous one.
– Nearly 85% 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% of all inmates are functionally illiterate.
– The Educational Testing Services reported that students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older.**
The really scary thing is that there are children in our community who don’t have a single book in their home. Only 1 out of 300 low-income children have a bedtime story to read with their parents. Only 1 out of 300 low-income children have a way to escape into a world of adventure. Only 1 out of 300 low-income children will have a book to read over the summer to keep their reading skills not only fun…. but ensure they don’t lose them.
Right now you may be asking “What can I do?” You can help by donating or hosting a book drive. Through United Way’s community-wide volunteer event, Day of Action, we can help get your gently-used books to children in need. By providing low-income students access to books, United Way hopes to encourage reading and enhance literacy over the summer months. Studies have found that students can lose up to 1/4 of their reading proficiency while on break. With your help, we can prevent the summer slide!
Host a Day of Action Book Drive
Collect new & gently-used children’s books (Grades K-12)
WHEN: May 30 – June 2
WHERE: Heart of Florida United Way
1940 Traylor Blvd, Orlando, FL 32804
If you have questions, want to volunteer or host a book drive, contact the Volunteer Center at volunteer.center@hfuw.org, (407) 849-2372
