www.montereycountyweekly.com DECEMBER 28, 2023-JANUARY 3, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 21 Educators say, “Illiteracy is preventable.” But 70% of children in Monterey County are starting school at least two years behind—most never catch up. Low literacy is the root cause of most societal issues. In fact, students who cannot read proficiently by the 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. Two-thirds of students who cannot read on grade level by the end of 4th grade end up in jail and/or on welfare. Over 70% of inmates in the U.S. read at or below the 4th grade level. Let’s embrace the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Expert educators say illiteracy is preventable. Yet schools can only remediate the literacy lag with children who started and remain behind in school. Teachers basically have 360 days to teach 1st and 2nd graders how to read. Third graders are expected to be able to read fairly well, yet only 30% of children in Monterey County are ready to learn and master the skill of reading in the third grade. The Solution The Read to Me Project is the prevention-based solution for improving literacy outcomes for under-served children. The focus is on giving children the foundation of early literacy during their first five years of life, when 90% of brain development occurs. Please donate to Read to Me Project through Monterey County Gives! now through December 31st and your donation will be percentage matched. Go to: Montereycountygives.com/read. Or, donate by check made payable to the Community Foundation for Monterey County, 2354 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940. Memo: Read to Me Project/ MCGives. Program details and impacts: readtomeproject.org HAPPY HOLIDAYS German Car Specialist Full service garage with over 40 years local experience. 249 Dela Vina Ave • Monterey 831.373.5355 • www.ccrepairmonterey.com Certified Monterey Bay Green Business Hank Super Mutt | male | approx. 7 years old | 65 pounds. There is no one who makes a holiday outfit look better than Hank! He is just a really good sport who loves to play, run, sleep and simply be around people. He is a very affectionate dog and will happily lean into you for some snuggles! Hank would love to join a home where he can be with his humans as much as possible. peaceofminddogrescue.org P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove 831.718.9122 If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, please give us a call In memory of Magnum, this ad is sponsored by C&C Auto Repair TRASH cooled cooking oil/ grease* GREEN CART food scraps without a bag CLOGBUSTERS.ORG Monterey One Water • ReGen Monterey • Southern Monterey Bay Dischargers Group *Take larger quantities, like leftover turkey fryer oil, to your local household hazardous waste collection facility ’TIS THE SEASON to be CLOG FREE!
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