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Feature
Childhood Illiteracy —
A Public Health Crisis
By Kimberly Lewis, MD, Pediatric Resident, Carolinas Medical Center
C harlotte, like many other cities in the United States, is in Children from low-income families are exposed to 30 million
the midst of a crisis. A 2013 Harvard study evaluating fewer words by age 3 than children from wealthier families. This
socioeconomic mobility, ranked some of America’s leads to a dramatic difference in the child’s vocabulary. One in
largest cities by the likelihood that a child born into three low-income families have no books in the home.2 These
poverty in that city could rise to a higher quintile of income during children essentially are in a state of educational starvation during
his or her lifetime.1 Among the 50 cities included in the study, some of the most important years for brain development. Failure
Charlotte ranked 50th, suggesting that, despite the ongoing growth in to attain early childhood literacy has lifelong social and economic
population, industry, housing and banking in Charlotte, low-income impacts that often extend to future generations. Poor reading skills
families have yet to see the economic benefits. The American dream in third grade are a significant risk factor for dropping out of high
does not exist for them, because no matter how hard they work, their school, as reading skills remain poor.3 Failure to graduate from
efforts rarely translate to financial success and freedom. high school has major implications that can significantly impact
a child’s life trajectory. Those who do not complete high school
In response to these findings, in 2015 a group of 20 community are much more likely to be jobless, and those with jobs have
members created the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task incomes about half that of their peers with high school diplomas.
Force to find the factors affecting the paucity of opportunity facing Female high school dropouts are nine times more likely to become
Charlotte’s low-income families. Its findings revealed several single mothers when compared to those with bachelor’s degrees.
interrelated factors that affect family access to opportunities, Furthermore, those without a high school diploma have a 63 times
including early child care and education, college and career higher rate of incarceration when compared to those who attended a
readiness, and child and family stability (leadingonopportunity.org). four-year university.4
As a resident physician, I have spent my entire life thus far in While the breadth and depth of this problem is overwhelming,
some form of school or educational small interventions can make a huge difference. Several
training. Therefore, education as organizations in Charlotte accepted the challenge to solve this crisis.
a determinant and predictor In 2014, the group now called Read Charlotte organized with the
of future opportunity piqued goal of doubling the number of Charlotte’s third-graders reading on
my interest. Low-income grade level from 40 percent to 80 percent by 2025. Four essential
families often cannot pillars guide their work. The first two pillars aim to support children
afford high-quality through kindergarten. The second two pillars focus on all school-age
child care. children. Their website (www.readcharlotte.org) is full of suggested
reading lists for children and tips for creating a language- and
literature-rich environment at home.
1 Where is the Land of Opportunity? The Geography of
Intergenerational Mobility in the United States. Raj Chetty,
Nathaniel Hendren, Patrick Kline and Emmanuel Saez. Harvard
University, 2013.
2 Promoting Family Literacy Through the Five Pillars of Family
and Community Engagement (FACE), Nai-Cheng Kuo, School
Community Journal, 2016, Vol 26, No.1.
3 KIDS COUNT Report, Early Warning! Why Reading by the
End of Third Grade Matters, Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2010.
4 The Consequences of Dropping Out of High School:
Joblessness and Jailing for High School Dropouts and the High
Cost for Taxpayers, Andrew Sum, Ishwar Khatiwada and
Joseph McLaughlin, 2009.
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