Dollar General’s Literacy Foundation makes nearly $5M investment in literacy solutions

Dollar General’s Literacy Foundation is working to address the literacy needs in the communities it serves.

The retailer announced a commitment of nearly $5 million in grants to five national organizations, which include Save the Children, The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, DonorsChoose, Discovery Education and the Children’s Defense Fund.

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“The COVID-19 pandemic has set back many in their education and literacy learning efforts and threatens to deepen the literacy crisis,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and vice president of corporate social responsibility at Dollar General. “We know the devastating impacts of low literacy on an individual’s quality of life-limiting opportunities for advancement in the workforce, access to higher education, engagement in civic activity, and even effects on health. Through our research we are better able to understand the needs of the field and empower teachers, students and communities to harness the power of literacy and education at this critical juncture.”

In addition, the company released its State of American Literacy Report, which includes surveys and interviews with more than 1,200 students, parents, teachers, adult learners and experts in adult and youth literacy from October 2021 to December 2021.

The study highlights the significant impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on literacy learning for adults and youth, including how the disruption impacted access to instruction, remediation and intervention, the company said.

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Other key findings in the report emphasized how reading and writing are important factors for a child’s success in life ahead of other factors such as technology skills; nearly three quarters of teachers shared how they were teaching more students who have difficulty reading than before the pandemic; adult learners are struggling to fit improving reading into their work and life schedules; and for adults how the ability to improve reading and writing skills is a top issue made worse by the pandemic.

In the wake of these findings, Dollar General Literacy Foundation shared how it will remain committed to strategic investments and grantmaking for students and educators across four areas — professional development, accessible adult learning, high-quality reading instruction and volunteer tutors.