Happy National ‪‎Read Across America‬ Day!

Today is the celebration of the birth anniversary of Theodor Seuss Geisei or known as Dr.Seuss a famous children’s book writer. His birthday has been adopted as the annual date for the National Read Across America Day as an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association

The NEA couldn’t have picked a better day to encourage reading. Who could be better than the famous Dr.Seuss who has published 46 children’s book. His books are so well-known that some of them were adapted for TV series and movies such as The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, and the famous movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas as well as many more. You might wonder why today is important to share your love of reading with someone. Well if you take a moment to learn about literacy in America, some of the facts are chilling. It is hard to believe there is such a high number of kids who either can’t read or partially read in America in the year 2015.

According to do something.org

1. 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.
2. 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read.
3. Students who don’t read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school. Start a badass book club to keep your peers reading. Sign up for Banned Books Club.
4. As of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country where the current generation was less educated than the previous one.
5. Nearly 85% of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60% of all inmates are functionally illiterate.
6. 53% of 4th graders admitted to reading recreationally “almost every day,” while only 20% of 8th graders could say the same.
7. 75% of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90% of high school dropouts are on welfare.
8. Teenage girls between the ages of 16 to 19 who live at or below the poverty line and have below average literacy skills are 6 times more likely to have children out-of-wedlock than girls their age who can read proficiently.
9. Reports show that the rate of low literacy in the United States directly costs the healthcare industry over $70 million every year.
10. In 2013, Washington, D.C. was ranked the most literate American city for the third year in a row, with Seattle and Minneapolis close behind.
11. Long Beach, CA was ranked the country’s most illiterate city, followed by Mesa, AZ, and Aurora, CO.

I know today is a monday and many of you won’t have a chance to participate in this event unless you are a teacher. Therefore tonight why don’t you take a moment to read a bedtime story to your kid. For non-parent, if you have the time to spare, check with your local library, many of them are participating in this event and share your love to read with a local kid.