The numbers are not very encouraging. In Monterey County, two out of every three children do not read proficiently by the end of third grade, the year when they are making the important transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." And we all know how important it is to read for our future prospects as wage-earners.
Two out of every three are low income. In the Salinas Valley, the numbers are even more dire.
Members of the Monterey County Children's Council lay it all out for the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in this video. The annual report starts around minute 20.
Well, the demographic reality is not very rosy, and you probably know some of it already. The good news is, there's many community leaders trying to push initiatives aimed at making a difference.
And I'm going to tell you about one that's near and dear to me. The Literacy Summit.
On Oct. 25, we're all going to have a chance to hear from top demographer Dowell Myers about the importance of having our children read at grade level by the time they're in third grade. It's our future we're talking about. And he'll make a compelling case during the Literacy Summit. We at the Literacy Campaign for Monterey County (yours truly is a board member) are hoping to inspire many community members to get involved in our effort.
So please join us on Oct. 25. Here's more details. You'll also have a chance to hear more about what else other community members are doing to improve the lives of our children and the future of our community.
See you on Oct. 25!
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