Cleveland Reads

...your first call for literacy 216/436-2222

Cleveland Reads Web site: www.clevelandreads.org

cleveland reads? mission & goals

Cleveland Reads, formerly the Greater Cleveland Literacy Coalition, began operating in 1985 as a response to community leaders to coordinate available literacy resources more efficiently. Cleveland Reads remains the one central advocate for all area literacy providers in the Greater Cleveland area.

To serve as the Greater Cleveland central resource and advocate for youth, adult, and family literacy.

Primary

To remove existing barriers to educational opportunities

Supporting

To promote the Literacy HOTLINE 216/436-2222, your first call for literacy
To support and assist literacy efforts through resource development and program enhancement
To recruit and train literacy volunteers
To promote public awareness of the problem and the importance of a literate society
To provide evidence, direction, and guidance about workable solutions

we serve? adults & youth

you care? facts & figures

If you're a businessperson, you may already be paying a high price for low literacy skills. Fifty percent of Fortune 500 companies underwrite remedial employee training in the basic skills at an annual cost of $300 million.
If you're a parent, you want your child to have the best possible educational opportunities. Every day, 4,000 students drop out of the public school system.
If you're a teacher or school administrator, you know that literacy begins at home. If a child never misses a day of school from first grade to twelfth, he or she would have spent only nine percent of his or her life in the classroom.
If you're a community member, you want safety and security in your neighborhood. Eighty-five percent of juveniles brought to court and over 25 percent -- possibly as high as 60 percent -- of adult prison inmates are functionally illiterate.

literacy? fiction & facts

Fiction:

"Illiteracy" means "total inability to read or write."

Fact:

Fiction: Low literacy skills are the individual's fault.
Fact: Not so. There are many explanations for low literacy skills. Some common reasons include undiagnosed learning disabilities, lack of comprehension of English, family and societal surroundings. The important issue is not placing blame, but finding a solution.

Fiction: Low literacy skills are not a problem for society.
Fact: On the surface, it may seem that way. However, people with low literacy skills are more likely to be unemployed, live in poverty, and receive welfare.

Fiction: It is easy to tell who has low literacy skills.
Fact: People who lack literacy skills develop other ways of coping with the world. You might not recognize them at all!

The 1991 Adult Literacy Act defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential."

you do? contributions

Be an advocate Take up the cause for a more literate society. Champion literacy achievements via the media. Be a volunteer tutor in one of the many literacy programs. Spend several hours a week helping Cleveland Reads carry out its mission.
Make a donation Your contribution can help Cleveland Reads continue the key projects that provide solutions to literacy concerns.
Consider a partnership Call Cleveland Reads for a mutually beneficial collaboration.
Become a member of Cleveland Reads Call 216/436-2222 for the membership application.
Visit our Web site at www.clevelandreads.org Learn more about Cleveland Reads.
Most of all, set an example Remember, a child spends 91% of her or his time at home or in the community and only 9% in school. The example you set for your children and all the children in the community is extremely important.

Cleveland Reads
1331 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Phone: (216) 436-2222
Fax: (216) 436-2261
Director: Catherine Thomas

A Program of United Way Services

presented by Lakewood Public Library