New York City has an invisible crisis. Nearly two out of three children affected by systemic poverty cannot read at grade level.  Children who can’t transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by third grade are 13 times more likely not to graduate on time from high school. Illiteracy impacts their ability to access better opportunities in health, education, and the economy. In the United States, 43% of adults with the lowest levels of literacy live in poverty. Low literacy rates cost the American economy $225 billion a year in loss of productivity.  Investing in literacy is the path out of poverty. It is both the smart and the right thing to do!