Unlocking Minds: The Crucial Role of Early Literacy in Shaping Future Success

Around the globe, millions of children from underdeveloped regions lack access to quality education, resulting in a chasm in fundamental education and literacy that creates a lasting barrier to the personal development of impoverished children.

Brain stimulation in the early childhood stages has proved crucial for brain development, which includes a range of cognitive, social, and emotional regions. One of which is language and literacy. Research has demonstrated that exposure to complex vocabulary and reading early on in childhood increases a child’s preparedness for school. Exposing children to the perspective of different characters and their interactions, reading also facilitates the development of a child’s social interactions and instills empathy. Cognitively, reading provides children with knowledge of the world around them, and opportunities to process new information and expand their vocabulary. It also stimulates a child’s imagination and creativity by exposing them to new, fantastical worlds and environments.

However, not all children are fortunate enough to have this educational foundation. In children belonging to middle-income families, it is estimated that there are more than 12 books per child. While in low-income families, research has found that there is one book for every 300 children. This disparity has continued to persist as the children grow older, reflecting in a large gap in performance. According to UNESCO, it has been estimated that 617 million children lack basic reading and writing skills, many of whom are from low-income households. In addition, by the time children are in school, children from low-income families have a quarter of the vocabulary of children from wealthier families. They also tend to underperform compared to national standards in literacy skills. By the time children are in 4th grade, half of middle-income children are considered proficient in school, while 17% of low-income students are deemed proficient. Not only are low-income children experiencing deficits in literacy, but also in linguistic exposure. Many low-income households will have shorter conversations consisting of simpler vocabulary compared to those of weather families. This is in part due to the lifestyle of low-income parents. Many impoverished parents did not receive a quality education, and as a result, they use simpler vocabulary in conversations with their children. This, in essence, continues the cycle of impoverishment in many families.

Despite these challenges, many solutions exist. This includes community-based learning programs or non-profits that target lower-income neighborhoods and provide extra academic assistance. Mobile learning is another solution that employs technological devices to transcend differences in location to provide online education. Books without Borders combines these two facets; we are a non-profit organization designed to provide online literacy assistance to children K-12 from underdeveloped regions.

Sources: Collier, Ellie. “Why Is Reading so Important for Children.” The Hub | High Speed Training, High Speed Training, 24 May 2019, www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/why-is-reading-important-for-children/. Ferguson, Hb, et al. “The Impact of Poverty on Educational Outcomes for Children.” Paediatrics & Child Health, vol. 12, no. 8, 12 Oct. 2007, pp. 701–6, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528798/. Raising Children Network. “Developing Literacy.” Raising Children Network, 25 June 2018, raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/play-learning/literacy-reading-stories/developing-literacy.

Image Source: Children's Bureau