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Why does South Carolina need to focus on literacy?

  • In the United States, middle-income neighborhoods have a ratio of 13 books per child; low-income neighborhoods have a ratio of 1 book for every 300 children (First Book).

 

  • According to the Literacy Center, South Carolina has the 13th highest rate of functional illiteracy in the United States.

 

  • 1 in 6 children who are not reading proficient in 3rd grade don't graduate from high school on time.

 

  • 66% of all U.S. fourth graders scored "below proficient" on the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading test, meaning that they are not reading at grade level. Even more alarming is the fact that among students from low-income backgrounds, 80 percent score below grade level in reading.

The mission of the LIT is to enhance the educational outcomes of economically disadvantaged K-5 youth in the local community.  The first year that the LIT program began 11 volunteers served 28 students for a total of 103 hours.  This pilot program continued from 2014 to the present and now is open for volunteers and federal work study students.  In the past year we have expanded the LIT to reach Rosewood Elementary and challenger program, York Road Elementary and challenger program, and the YMCA after school program.  Last spring our 45 Winthrop LIT members served for a total of 2125.5 hours working with approximately 168 students.

Our Outcomes

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