What is literacy?

It’s the ability to “ready, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and develop one’s knowledge and potential.”

In other words, the ability to get a job, help your kids with school work, vote, rent or buy a house, go to the doctor, get a driver’s license, become a citizen... The list goes on.

Why is literacy important?

A literate population:

·        Has a higher earning capability. A high school graduate earns about 42% more than someone without a HS diploma;

·        Is healthier. One in five adults can’t read patient brochures; for the elderly it’s two out of five. Serving people with low literacy is estimated to cost $8–12 billion a year nationally;

·        Has parents who are involved in their children’s education. Children whose parents have low literacy levels are twice as likely than other children to have low skills themselves

·        Is more civic and community minded. Citizens with low-literacy are half as likely to vote as are more literate citizens;

·        Is more successful. 50% of people incarcerated in state and federal prisons have low literacy skills and/or lack a high school diploma.

How big is the problem?

The demographics of Clark County have changed dramatically in the last decade:

·        approximately 28,000 adults in SW Washington lack a high school diploma;

·        minorities increased 179% during the 1990s to13.4% of residents;

• foreign-born residents tripled in the 1990s to 7.9% of the population
• 12% of in residents (age 5+) speaking a language other than English at home, compared to 5.6% in 1990