[NEWS] Organizations promote literacy across the state – CJN article
3/18/25 This article originally appeared in the Cleveland Jewish News website and was written by Lydia Kacala.
In Ohio, 17.7% of people have low literacy levels, according to a study from the World Population Review. The study also reports that 35% of fourth graders sit below “basic reading level.”
Connie Friedman, director of programming at Seeds of Literacy in Cleveland, told the Cleveland Jewish News there are about 77,000 people in Cuyahoga County without a high school diploma and about 680,000 without a high school diploma across the state.
“On top of that, we have many more students who just want to improve their literacy skills,” Friedman, a Shaker Heights resident and congregant of Kol HaLev in University Heights, said. “They’re functioning at a low level of literacy. So, they might be able to read some things, but they can’t read everything that they want. They might be able to understand simple text, but they want to be able to understand more complex text. Or, they might realize that what they can understand through oral language is so much more sophisticated than what they can make sense of in writing.”
She said literacy impacts a person’s every day life, with effects being seen when reading emails or texts, filing out housing or job applications, understanding the instructions on prescriptions or other medical directions, and reading bus schedules.
“I had a student who I spoke to recently who runs a small business – he makes these amazing rugs,” Friedman said. “He makes these beautiful, beautiful rugs, and he showed me pictures and he said, ‘I can’t grow my business because my customers want to communicate with me through email.’ He didn’t feel confident about his ability to read or respond to email.”
Natalie Friedl, executive director at Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, told the CJN literacy can also impact a person’s ability to articulate their needs, as literacy is more than just reading.
“Literacy is beyond just reading – it’s communicating, it’s understanding body language, it’s connecting with others,” Friedl, a Brunswick resident, said. “And so, if we don’t do that at a young age, those students are already at a disadvantage and there are several other things that will come along in life that can create disadvantages. Certainly, if we increase or improve literacy, there’s fewer disadvantages.”
Literacy is a skill that starts at birth, she said. In order to promote literacy, parents can read to their children, which also allows them to hear voices. This encourages bonding and creates a sense of safety and security, as well, she said.
“It starts at a very young age and it continues,” Friedl said. “So, it improves relationships and being able to communicate what your needs are and things like that.”
She said having books in the home and exposing children to a range of vocabulary words at a young age is beneficial.
“Parents and caregivers can really be the first teacher before preschool, and then at the preschool level when they are exposed to other education topics from preschool to third grade, you’re learning to read so that the rest of your life you’re reading to learn,” Friedl said.
Friedman said more studies should be conducted on literacy in Cuyahoga County and Ohio because much of the data and numbers reported are outdated.
“There’s a lot of data out there that sort of drawing those numbers around,” Friedman said. “We in Cuyahoga County, we desperately need a new study. We need accurate numbers that illustrate the literacy rate in our communities.”
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