Childhood illiteracy is an everyone, everywhere problem. The Bronx has some of the city’s lowest literacy rates. According to a recent article, 70% of third grade students in the Bronx were unable to read, and 56% of high school students were not college ready. In 2023, the Bronx had lower median scores than other boroughs for the English Language Arts exam, which tracks language proficiency for third to eighth grade students. Studies show that children’s literacy can have a major ripple effect on the rest of their lives. Low literacy can lead to worse educational outcomes and poor job opportunities, which contributes to widening of the socioeconomic gap. In addition low literacy correlates with higher incarceration levels and poorer health outcomes in communities. BELL Organization partnered with The Huntington Free Library, elected officials such as Council member Amanda Farias, Senators Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nathalia Fernandez and Deidra Moore running for Civil Court Judge to host a Back To School Literacy Fair.
