Literacy a vital survival skill in changing world

Published 8:00 am Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Every January for the past five years, the local community has gathered to celebrate literacy as a lifelong practice and pass along its importance to younger generations. On Saturday that tradition continues through the fifth annual literacy fair, slated from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Milledgeville Mall.

The event is put together each year through Baldwin County Schools and several community partners. The event is open to families and residents of all ages.

It aims to provide information and materials all under one roof with one objective — to help increase the focus on the value of literacy, family literacy in particular, in the community.

It’s no secret that strong literacy development is key to educational success and that it is vitally important that the building blocks for becoming successful start at an early age.

Literacy – the ability to read and write – is tied to virtually every aspect of our lives and it is increasingly evolving to much more than it has ever before. From reading the newspaper to understanding computers and smartphones to managing finances, literacy impacts us daily in nearly everything — culturally, socially and technologically.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education, children who are read to at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not. Children who read frequently develop stronger reading skills, and the more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency.

Establishing reading as a family practice is imperative, as children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school.

While developing these skills at an early age is certainly the best approach, it’s never too late to develop the necessary skills to be successful.

This weekend’s literacy fair offers information on resources available for all family members with regards to literacy. Whether it’s to increase reading skills, obtain a GED or even bolster financial literacy, resources and materials will be provided and participating vendors will be available to point local residents in the right direction.

This event is an opportunity for families — parents and other adults with a desire to go back to school or further their education and local students — to learn more about valuable resources that can help change the course of their futures.

Our world is constantly changing. Developing sound literacy skills isn’t just important for job and career success alone — it’s a necessary tool in our world today.

Literacy is a survival skill that connects us to the outside world.