It is not always the case that parents do not spend time reading to the children. It could also be that some parents themselves do not know how to read, or do not know much English, therefore affecting their child’s progress in school (Cline and Reichelderfer, 2001). This problem can create uncommitted readers, for whom reading was not frequent and children “begin their school year with little aesthetic experiences with books.”(Beers, 1996)

    A reading party for parents, created by the Even Start Program,  allows them to practice their reading independently and aloud, even if their English is fragmented. When concerns or questions are expressed, the parent receives educational supplies for their children. This is beneficial for low-income families who may not be able to afford some things. Rather than this being seen as a handout, the parents feel that they have earned it through activities. The main point of this program is that by helping the parents, the parents are helping their children to succeed in the school system (Cline and Reichelderfer, 2001).

    The economic implications are that a child from a low-income family who does not succeed in school literacy faces the prospect of repeating this process as they will require constant re-training throughout their adult life to meet the literacy demands of the modern industrialized world (Wragg, 1997).

    The future success of boys in the work force has been called in to question.  It has been felt that because boys are behind the girls, they will have a difficult time finding jobs in the Canadian work field (OECD/PISA, 2002). Unlike yesteryear, many jobs are no longer labourious, rather it is an age of computerized and mechanized labour (Wragg, 1997). Wragg believes that men will have to spend most of their adult lives upgrading their education (Wragg, 1997), for they do not have a concrete foundation to apply to the work force. This problem in their adult lives could stem from the reading problem not being addressed at a young age. It has been called to attention that some children are going through the elementary school system and on to middle school without having the reading problem corrected (Humphry, 2002). It is difficult to have this problem fixed at the middle school level, because either they do not have trained reading professionals, or simply many teachers do not have a lot of time to focus on the students who have reading difficulties, or both (Humphry, 2002, Davies, 2000).

    This is an issue because those who cannot obtain a paying job would not be contributing to the economy. Some people would look at this as a burden on society. These circumstances need to change so as to situate these people where they can earn money and become self-sufficient and reliant.

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