When we talk about America’s child literacy crisis, we often picture elementary classrooms, phonics charts, and reading logs. We talk about curriculum, teacher preparation, and early intervention, and while these are all essential, we rarely talk about what’s happening at home. Or more precisely, what isn’t.

The truth is, we are trying to solve a generational problem by focusing on only one part of the equation. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 43 million U.S. adults possess low literacy skills. That is about one in five adults who struggle to read, write, or comprehend beyond a basic level. And many of them are parents.

This reality presents a quiet but powerful barrier to the success of our nation’s children.

We know that the early years of a child's life are foundational for language development. Long before children set foot in a classroom, they are absorbing words, sentence structures, and meaning through conversation, story time, and exposure to print. But what happens when the adults in a child’s life struggle with literacy themselves?

Research tells us that a parent’s literacy level is one of the strongest predictors of their child’s educational success. Families facing low literacy often struggle to support homework, engage in school communications, or model reading behaviors. It is not a matter of love or intention. It is a matter of access.

Even among adults who are technically literate, many do not read regularly. A 2021 Pew Research study found that about a quarter of American adults had not read a single book in the previous year, in any format. For children, this lack of modeled reading habits has a lasting impact. When they do not see adults reading newspapers, books, recipes, or even instructions out loud, reading becomes something that only happens at school. It is not seen as essential, enjoyable, or lifelong. If literacy is only ever associated with school, it is much harder for children to internalize it as part of who they are. Addressing child literacy on its own is like treating symptoms without identifying the root cause. If we want to close the reading gap, we have to recognize that children live in interconnected systems. Adult literacy is a crucial part of that system.

During my undergraduate years, while I was working toward my education degree, I also worked nights at a restaurant. At the time, I was working as a substitute teacher during the day and balancing school and work in the evenings. One of my coworkers, a young mother who had her son at 18, often asked about my experiences in the classroom and what I was learning in my education courses. She had recently become more focused on her three-year-old’s development and wanted to give him a strong start. She confided in me that she was worried because she knew his language skills were behind those of other children his age and wanted to know how she could help him at home. I suggested something simple and powerful: nightly read-alouds and book discussions. I told her that even just ten minutes a night with a picture book could help develop his vocabulary and comprehension.

She started crying.

Through tears, she admitted they didn’t really have books at home. She said she knew it was important. She had heard that reading was something she "should" do as a parent. But she felt overwhelmed. She didn’t know where to start. That moment stuck with me. Not because she didn’t care, but because she cared deeply. She simply didn’t have the tools, access, or confidence to model the literacy behaviors she wanted her son to adopt.

As a teacher and a mother, I have seen firsthand how much parents want to be involved. They want to help. But when systems overlook their needs, we leave families behind.

It is time to expand our definition of literacy intervention. What if we treated parent literacy as a core part of early childhood education? What if school districts partnered with adult learning centers as a matter of routine? What if pediatricians not only prescribed books for young children but also referred adults to literacy resources?

These are not radical ideas. They are inclusive ones.

The child literacy crisis cannot be solved with classroom strategies alone. We need community-based, intergenerational approaches that honor the role of families. That begins with acknowledging adult literacy not as a separate issue, but as a critical part of the solution.