More than one million children in Canada are estimated to have below grade-level reading skills (Source: Deloitte LLP. An Economic Overview of Children's Literacy in Canada) See more facts & figures
27% of kids start Grade 1 without some of the early developmental skills they need to be able to learn to read. (Source: Early Development Instrument) See more facts & figures
Children in low socioeconomic communities are almost 2× as likely to be behind in early development skills as high-socioeconomic status peers (Source: Pan-Canadian Public Health Network) See more facts & figures
A one per cent increase in adult literacy would create an economic benefit of $67 billion gross domestic product for Canada per year (Source: Deloitte LLP. An Economic Overview of Children's Literacy in Canada) See more facts & figures
Investing in pre-school education has a much higher rate of return than investments made in later years of a child’s education, or in adulthood. (Source: Deloitte LLP. An Economic Overview of Children's Literacy in Canada) See more facts & figures
Approximately 25 per cent of Grade 3 children in Canada are not reading at grade level. (Source: Deloitte analysis using EQAO and PISA data) See more facts & figures
Pandemic disruptions in children’s learning are forecast to cause a 30% increase in socioeconomic skills gaps (Source: Research Group on Human Capital and Department of Economics, School of Management, Université du Québec à Montréal) See more facts & figures
13.8% of Canadian Grade 10 students do not have the baseline level of reading skills needed to navigate in our society, according to a recent international study from the OECD. (Source: PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)) See more facts & figures
Reading for fun can lead to many emotional benefits Research shows that children who read for fun have greater levels of imagination, focus, relaxation and mood regulation. (Source: The Reading Agency. “The Impact of Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment”) See more facts & figures
Literacy levels and income are strongly linked. Research shows that people with more literacy skills earn more money over time. (Source: Insights on Canadian Society, Statistics Canada: “The association between skills and low income.”) See more facts & figures
Reading can increase social well-being. Reading for pleasure can create a greater sense of community, a stronger feeling of social inclusion, a stronger ability to enjoy social occasions, and enhanced openness and talkativeness. (Source: The Reading Agency. “The Impact of Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment”) See more facts & figures
Canada scores 18th in a global ranking of Grade 4 readers. This is a significant drop from its previous score of 12th, as part of a longer downward trend. (Source: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)) See more facts & figures
It’s predicted that children who are read to at least once a day will hear 290,000 more words by age 5 than those who aren’t read to by a parent or caregiver. (Source: Ohio State University, “When Children Are Not Read to At Home: Million Word Gap”) See more facts & figures
Research suggests that 90% of a child’s brain is developed by age five, before many children have access to formal education. (Source: First Things First. (2019). “Why Early Childhood Matters: Brain Development.” ) See more facts & figures
Babies can recognize distinctive sounds of their mother’s language shortly after birth. At four and half months, infants show recognition of their own name. (Source: Pacific Lutheran University: “Language experienced in utero affects vowel perception after birth: a two-country study“) See more facts & figures
Regular reading with children increases children’s enjoyment of sharing books and joining in songs and rhymes. (Source: University of Alberta: “Handbook of Language and Literacy Development: A Roadmap from 0 to 60 Months”) See more facts & figures
Increased exposure to books and vocabulary leads to significant increase in school preparedness. (Source: National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University) See more facts & figures
Reading for pleasure makes you happier. Reading for fun can increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and improve wellbeing throughout life. (Source: The Reading Agency. “The Impact of Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment” See more facts & figures