Early Literacy

Priority Initiative: Early Learning & Literacy

The Problem:
  • 12% of our children score ‘below standard’ on statewide standardized tests evaluating reading and language arts skills. 
  • Academic success is greatly influenced by the foundation laid in early childhood – before they begin school.
  • Nearly 25% of our adult population is functionally illiterate.
Spoken words serve as the foundation to early learning and literacy.  By age 4, children living in poverty hear about 40 million less words than their peers who do not live in poverty, affecting learning ability before children enter school.  
 
Imagination Library is an early literacy initiative that helps prepare children for success in school by eliminating one of the reasons parents do not read to their children — access to books.  The program provides children with an age appropriate book free of charge each month via the US mail. 
 
Our goals are simple:
1. Increase access to books
2. Encourage parents to read to their children
3. Develop a love of reading in children
4. Better prepare children for success in school through early learning and literacy
 
What United Way is doing to help:
Since the inception of Imagination Library in 2001,
  • 17,800 children enrolled
  • 520,000 books distributed
Parents tell us:
  • 87.6% feel their children were better prepared for school because of Imagination Library.
  • 93.3% of read to their children more because of Imagination Library
There are currently 8,300 children enrolled in Imagination Library.

For additional resources on early learning and literacy, visit www.bornlearning.org

For information on childhood development at various ages, download the resources below. (Source: www.bornlearning.org)