by Education and Family Engagement Commissions

The website, Raising a Reader, recently shared these statistics about reading and literacy:

• Less than half of the 16 million U.S. children who live in poverty enter school with the language and reading skills needed for success.
• 6 out of 10 children in the United States currently fail to read proficiently by grade 4.
• Low-income children without exposure to books before age 5 enter Kindergarten on average with a 30-million word deficit.
• Reading under-achievement by grade 4 = long-term academic failure

September 8th is International Literacy Day and California State PTA knows the important role that parents play in helping children cultivate a love of reading.  Here are some resources for you to help your child along their literacy journey:

• Raising a Reader – California State PTA has great tips for helping children to develop language skills and become lifelong readers.
• 4 Tips to Boost Literacy Skills – Learn four ways to eliminate a “word gap” for your child.
• Reading Tips for Families – This website has videos, a daily calendar of literacy activities to do, as well as a reading glossary to help parents increase their child’s reading skills. 
• Our Resource Library has several tools as well for students from preschool to high school.  Simply search “reading” or “literacy”. You can also search “books” for some great reading lists.