Public Affairs Conference - Bridging the Literacy Divide: Closing the "Million-Word" Gap

Live Zoom webinar panel session (see conference website for Zoom link)

Reading stories out loud to children is key to developing their early literacy skills. According to Logan (2019), "The word gap is more than 1 million words between children raised in a literacy-rich environment and those who were never read to.” A new Global Call to Action program is targeted directly at the million-word gap. What impacts on the well-being of American children and young adults will occur if the million-word gap continues or increases? How will this affect society as a whole and perhaps deepen divides within society? What can local communities, libraries and educational institutions do to ensure families are equipped to assist in literacy enhancing activities? How do parent literacy and demographics affect child literacy? To what extent is there a divide between rural and urban students? How can families weave culture, storytelling and life experiences together to close the gap for these children before they enter the education system?