Did You Know?

• The 2018 Vital Signs Report highlighted that 37.3% of Prince Edward County children present as vulnerable in one or more of the Early Development Index (EDI) domains. Low EDI is an indicator of a child’s inability to learn.

• Children who do not have access to books in early childhood will not be literate (Fraser Mustard Report, Early Years Study, 2011).

• Nearly a quarter of children in grade three who are not reading at grade level will not graduate from high school. Those who are not reading at grade level in Grade six, have an 82 percent chance of never graduating.

• The Vital Signs Report also indicates that the median family income in Prince Edward County falls below the provincial median. 

• Studies indicate that children from low-income homes have no books or significantly fewer books than children in middle class homes. For example, children from middle-class homes have approximately 14 titles per child; low-income homes have one title per 300 children (Neuman & Celano, 2011).  

• Research indicates that access to books has both an immediate and long-term impact on children’s academic and socioeconomic outcomes (Neuman et al., 2000).