In a nation that prides itself in its commitment to equal access to education, hundreds of thousands of children are still not achieving the reading standard that is appropriate to their particular grade level. The United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries, and the Franklinton Center at Bricks are working with community partners on an aggressive literacy project to address the looming disparity affecting children and youth who are overlooked because of race and economic marginalization.
Addressing Literacy at the Franklinton Center
Fifty children and their families from Inborden Elementary School in Eastern North Carolina participated in FCAB's first Summer Literacy retreat.
Franklinton Center at Bricks is working to make a difference in the lives of children and youth living in nearby communities. The Literacy Project provides a comprehensive offering of opportunities to support students, families, and schools, through activities proven to help improve literacy skills. The project is designed to address far more than just the ability to read and write. In addition to providing reading, the project will include activities that support speaking, listening, thinking, and learning in creative ways. Some of the project activities include the following:
1. Summer Enrichment Program 2. After-school Tutoring Program 3. Technology Enrichment Program 4. Adult Literacy Program-Lifelong Learning: GED 5. Family mental health support 6. Parent support groups 7. Education Summit 8. Support for migrant families 9. Spanish as a Second Language classes 10. Supporting literacy professional development 11. Incorporating community history 12. Establishing a community reading club and activities 13. Working with local libraries to develop and implement joint programs such as book fairs 14. Storytelling 15. Puppet shows 16. Educational field trips to museums, theater, concerts, ballet, recitals, etc.) 17. Guest lecture series 18. Book signings for local authors
Why This Work Matters
A report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates that millions of American children reach fourth grade without learning to read proficiently. The report further states that the most impacted are children from low income families. It is well researched that reading at grade level by the 3rd grade is crucial to the child’s continued educational development. Poor reading skills lead to the heightened potential for the child to drop out of school. Literacy rates are also related to the ability to earn a living wage.
Low literacy levels are also strongly related to crime. The Department of Justice states, “the link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading." Evidence shows that children who do not read by third grade often drop out of school, take drugs, or go to prison. Children who live in eastern North Carolina where Franklinton Center at Bricks is located are especially at risk. In his job as Edgecombe County Sheriff James Knight says he sees the direct correlation between a lack of early childhood education and crime. “They’re not interested in school at all, and they begin to drop out. Once they begin to be a dropout, then they become a law-enforcement problem.”
According to the National Institute for Literacy, 70% of those incarcerated fall into the lowest two levels of reading proficiency. More than 60% of all prison inmates and 80% of those in juvenile court systems are functionally illiterate. Because of this unfortunate, but reliable data, most states use the rate of illiteracy to help calculate the number of prison beds they will need in the future.
Literacy is an issue of justice that touches every part of a person’s life. Franklinton Center is committed to serving the children of Edgecombe County and beyond by addressing this important need.
