Today our prayer target is child illiteracy. This is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty in our county. It must be taken seriously. Here are some facts
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85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
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More than 60 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate.
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Literacy is learned. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read or write.
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One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.
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43% of adults at Level 1 literacy skills live in poverty compared to only 4% of those at Level 5
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3 out of 4 food stamp recipients perform in the lowest 2 literacy levels
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90% of welfare recipients are high school dropouts
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16 to 19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, with below average skills, are 6 times more likely to have out-of-wedlock children than their reading counterparts.
When we talk about breaking strongholds that hold our city back this is a fundamental stronghold in our community. Malcolm Thomas, our school superintendent has specifically stated to us that it is a problem when 1st and 2nd graders in our community are not reading at grade level. Once a child is behind in reading they suffer every year. They never catch up. Functional illiteracy is when you don't read at your proper grade level. If kids continue to struggle up to high school they will eventually drop out. Did you know that the graduation rate in Escambia county is about 74%? That means 1 in 4 kids in Escambia County will not graduate traditional high school. This is appalling and a huge reason that our community struggles with poverty. It takes a village to raise a child.
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