Misconceptions About Access to Books from Cheerios National Literacy Survey

Between September and October Cheerios ran a National Literacy Survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs which was taken by 1,012 mothers of children between the ages of two and six. The survey questions were regarding reading, availability of books, selection of books and much more. What was startling was what the survey revealed.

Just a few of the results from the Cheerios National Literacy Survey:

- Four in ten moms do not think there is a drastic disparity between middle and lower-income neighborhoods in the U.S. when it comes to children's access to books.

- Nine in ten moms believe that all kids have access to books through their local school and/or public library

- Moms 40 and older (58%), college graduates (49%), those with a household income of $50,000 or more (49%), and Caucasians (50%) are most likely to say that their child owns over 50 books. In contrast, moms under 30 (26%), those who are unmarried (29%), Hispanic moms (27%) and African American moms (21%) are least likely to say so.

It is a common misconception that kids have access to books through their local schools and public libraries. Children between the ages of two and six are not necessarily in a school setting and children that young cannot provide their own transportation to get to the public library. Children's accessibility to books is a main priority for Cheerios. Hoping to bring books right inside the home, Cheerios started the Spoonfuls of Stories program where a book is placed neatly and carefully inside Cheerios cereal boxes.

The statistics gathered from the survey are real and scary. Illiteracy is an issue facing America. In the U.S., one in five adults (that's 20% of the adult population) is functionally illiterate. According to ThinkQuest Education Foundation, sixty percent of America's inmates are illiterate and eighty-five percent of all juvenile offenders have problems with illiteracy. Can you imagine the difference it would have made if these adults and children had been given the gift of books and reading at a young age? It is possible that some of those adults and children would not be where they are if they had opened a cereal box and found a book.

There are three main causes of illiteracy in the world; poverty, learning disabilities, and a family history of illiteracy. All of these issues can be addressed by making books more accessible. And it starts with making books accessible to children from all demographics.

In addition to running the Spoonfuls of Stories program, Cheerios, has also made a donation in the amount of $300,000 to First Book, a non-profit organization dedicated to placing books in the hands of children from low-income families.

Organizations like First Book with the help of Cheerios are making a difference in the fight against illiteracy. We, the adults, parents and educators of our children, can make a difference by clearing up the misconceptions around books and illiteracy. Not every child has access to books but we can and need to make them accessible. Our future and their future depends on it.