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By committing your resources to the National Center for Family Literacy, you help us create lasting change that impacts generations for one simple but powerful reason – parents and children learn best when learning together.
Illiteracy hurts all of us, on many levels.
Consider:
- Unemployment is 61 percent higher for those age 25 and older without a high school diploma than for those with a diploma or equivalent. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- 41 to 44 percent of adults living in poverty have the lowest literacy skills. (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins & Kolstad, 2002)
- Low functional literacy results in an estimated $32 to $58 billion in additional healthcare costs. (Center for Health Care Strategies)
- Each dropout costs the nation approximately $260,000 (Rouse, Princeton University, 2005) with more than 12 million expected to drop out over the next decade. – a total loss of $3 trillion.
- Family environment has been targeted as the primary source for declining high school graduation rates; by age 5 it is possible to predict who will complete high school and who won’t. (Study by James J. Heckman, University of Chicago)
Building a more literate society through the strong bond of family ensures a more prosperous future for all of us. Families are the conduit for concrete, meaningful change, and literacy is the trigger that helps families achieve and communities thrive.
Literacy is perhaps the most powerful weapon against barriers to success such as poverty, unemployment, poor health and inadequate housing. And a child’s ability to rise above those barriers is closely aligned to the parent’s ability to master basic life skils such as literacy.
Family literacy shatters this destructive cycle. It gives families the tools they need to thrive today – and the benefits last for generations. A better future for everyone can become a reality, but we need your help.