Literacy might be the greatest gift

The giving season is upon us. No matter how little money you might have, we know two ways you can have a profound impact on your community.

But before we ask for your help, here are five statistics gathered from various sources.

• Having books in the home is twice as important as the father’s education level. (Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 2010)

• The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. (National Commission on Reading, 1985)

• The only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home. (The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions, 1998)

• Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of fourth grade will end up in jail or on welfare. (BegintoRead.com)

• In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 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, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p. 31.)

Read-y?

The first thing you can do is scrounge around your house or apartment and dig out children’s books you’d be willing to donate. Former teacher and now Coeur d’Alene School Board member Dave Eubanks and his merry band of literate elves are working feverishly to collect 40,000 books to distribute to local children. They’d love new books, but they’re also very happy with gently used books for kindergartners through third-graders.

Once you’ve got your books together, please take them to the public school nearest you in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland school districts. Kootenai Health and Northwest Specialty Hospital are also collection points, as are many churches in Kootenai County.

The other thing you can do that very well could mean the difference between happiness and misery in the trajectory of a child is to call Betty Bray Baker. Read Betty’s letter to the editor on today’s Opinion page and, if you’re interested in volunteering as a reading tutor, let Betty know.

There’s a good chance your help will put a dent in crime, lessen the need for welfare, and improve the future for generations of local families.

There’s an absolute guarantee that you’ll feel good about what you’ve done.