Growing literacy gap must be narrowed

Re Income and the ‘word’ gap, Feb. 5 As a volunteer tutor with the Halton Children’s Aid Society for the past four years, I was pleased to see a story about links between income and literacy. But the LENA program discussed in this article is not enough. The challenges, often obstacles, these children face are larger than I ever imagined when I first began tutoring. All of the families I’ve worked with have been single-mother households, with these mothers well below Grade 12 reading levels.

One mother was over-medicated on antidepressants and practically comatose, and there were no books or even school supplies in the house. Her oldest son has failed the Grade 10 literacy test twice. And I have to fill out the forms from school for another mother who has trouble understanding them. Her daughter is in Grade 7 but reads at a Grade 4 level.

Most alarming is the poor vocabulary amongst all the children I’ve tutored. They don’t have the experiences wealthier children enjoy — vacations, trips to museums and galleries, even visits to their local libraries. Worst of all, they can’t afford expensive tutoring services like their better-off peers, whose parents will put them in private tutoring to increase marks from C’s to B’s.

Herein lies the reason for the widening gap — as poorer children struggle with little or no assistance, wealthier students get more than enough help. Until we find a way to equalize the services for children, no matter their income, this gap will continue to grow.

Shelly Sanders, Oakville