Glamaour Era Glamaour Era Nov Issue 2018 | Page 45

Society as a whole pays a high price for low literacy. It costs the U.S. at least $225 billion
each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment,
according to the National Council for Adult Learning.
Here's the good news: this problem does have a solution. Having books in the home has been proven to
improve children's reading performance, cause them to read more frequently and for longer lengths of
time, and improve overall attitudes toward learning.
It's clear that promoting literacy in your home and in your community are worthwhile investments of
your time and money. Wondering where to start?
Build reading into the routine: When the kids are small, it's easy for many parents to create the nightly
ritual of story time. Don't stop just because they've started school and are reading on their own. Commit
to sitting down every night to read together. Or, make reading into an event the whole family can enjoy
by reading a chapter book out loud. When the kids see you reading books too, you set a great example.