About Literacy NY
New York State has a literacy problem.
Approximately 3.9 million New York State residents are either functionally illiterate — reading below the 5th grade level — lack a High School Diploma or cannot speak English...
BUT under 3% are being served through public funding/dollars.
Low literacy affects every area of life
43% of adults with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty
50% of the chronically unemployed are functionally illiterate
76% of adults on public assistance are illiterate or unable to read more than simple text
Welfare recipients with the lowest literacy skills stay on welfare the longest
Parents who can't read are likely to have children who can't read well
75% of prisoners fall into the lowest two levels of literacy
85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems
