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Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts we compiled on adult, workplace and child and youth literacy that can easily be popped into a story. If you can’t find what you are looking, give our executive director Claire Rettie a call at 250-388-7225.

 Adult Literacy

• literacy proficiency is defined as “the ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities, at home, at work and in the community.  It is not about whether or not one can read but how well one reads.” (Statistics Canada, 2005)
• the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey in 2003 looked at the ability to work with prose, documents and numbers and to solve problems. Scores were grouped into five categories. People at level one have difficulty reading and have few skills for decoding text. People at level two have limited skills and can only deal with material that is simple and clearly laid-out. At level three people can read well, but may have problems with more complex tasks. It is the minimum level to participate and succeed in modern society. (Literacy BC, Literacy in BC information sheet)
• 42 per cent of Canadians (or four out of 10) are not sufficiently equipped in literacy skills to cope with the everyday demands of work and life in modern society – 9 million Canadians between the ages of 16 and 65 (Statistics Canada, 2005).
• in BC, 14 per cent of working-age adults are at the lowest proficiency levels; 21 per cent are at level two, which is still inadequate for full participation in modern society (Statistics Canada, 2005).
• while BC’s literacy profile is stronger than the Canadian average, scores among younger adults (16-25) are lower than the Canadian average – 12 per cent of  younger BC adults have difficulty with even the most basic written materials  (Literacy BC, Literacy in BC information sheet)
• about 60 per cent of urban Aboriginals have low literacy (Literacy BC, Literacy in BC information sheet).
• 60 per cent of immigrants have low literacy, compared with 37 per cent of native-born Canadians (ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation, 2005)

Workplace Literacy

• almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of British Columbians with low literacy are currently in the workforce. Skills challenges affect productivity, safety and profitability. (ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation, 2005)
• only two per cent of training provided by Canadian companies is related to literacy.  (Canadian Labour Market & Productivity Centre, National Training Survey, 1991)
• an increase of just one per cent in literacy scores relative to the international average is associated with an estimated boost to national productivity of 2.5 per cent – worth $18 billion per year to Canadian GDP. (ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation, 2005 Workplace Literacy Facts)
• in Canada, people with high literacy scores are more likely to participate in training -  40 per cent of those with low literacy rates participate in training as opposed to 75 per cent at highest literacy level (Literacy BC information sheet)

Child and Youth Literacy

• Parents should pay careful attention to three potential reading slump times that can hinder a child’s reading development: when a child enters kindergarten; at grade 4; and when a child enters high school. (How to Make Your Child a Reader for Life, Paul Kropp, 2000).
• Family literacy refers to the many ways families develop and use literacy skills, from enjoying a storybook together at bedtime and during the day, to playing with word games, singing, writing to a relative or friend, sharing day-to-day tasks such as making a shopping list or using a recipe, and surfing the Internet for fun and interesting sites. (Family Literacy in Canada: Profiles of Effective Practices, Adele Thomas, Soleil Publishing Inc., 1998)
• Some experts say that for 80 per cent of children, simple immersion in reading and books will lead to independent reading by school age. (How to Make Your Child a Reader for Life, Paul Kropp, Random House Canada, 2000)
• Having a parent or other caring person read aloud with their children helps children learn listening skills, vocabulary and language skills, as well as develop imagination and creativity. (Family Literacy Foundation, 2001).