In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13:1. In low-income neighborhoods the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.
— Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Vol. 2. New York, NY2 out of 3 low-income families have no books at all in their homes for their children.
— Reading Literacy in the United StatesMore than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems.
— U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Why This Matters
Research on Early Literacy and Book Access:
The single most important factor influencing a child's early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home before beginning school.
— National Commission on ReadingThe only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home.
— The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real SolutionsChildren growing up in homes with at least 20 books get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents' education, occupation, and class.
— Evans, M.D.R., et al. Family Scholarly Culture and Education Access: Books and Schooling in 27 Nations (2010)
2 out of 3 students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.
— Begintoread.comChildren from lower-income homes have limited access to books. Because of this, preschoolers from low-income families have fewer home and preschool language and literacy opportunities than children from economically advantaged backgrounds – a major reason that they lag behind in reading achievement throughout the school years.
— Berk, L. E. (2009) Child Development (8th ed.). Pearson Education, IncThe most successful way to improve the reading achievement of low-income children is to increase their access to print.
— Newman, Sanford, et all. "American's Child Care Crisis: A Crime Prevention Tragedy"; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.