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Preventing Poverty Through Literacy The ability to read is absolutely essential in order to function effectively within a society. Those who are illiterate often struggle with their careers, raising families, and sometimes struggle to survive. Many children are born into poverty and may lack learning resources that more privileged households have such as computers and the internet. Educational opportunities like pre-schooling and professional learning centers are often unavailable to families lacking the necessary funds. These children will more than likely follow in their parents’ footsteps of poverty because of their illiteracy. Through the use of educational and governmental programs, illiteracy can become less rampant throughout the United States, thus, reducing poverty and improving the economy. Programs run by public schools promoting reading and writing can easily reach all children equally. For example, a public elementary school can run a program in which students earn rewards for reading on their spare time. Incentives are an easy way to appeal to children and get them to try the program that will ultimately benefit them. The public school system itself could alter its curriculum to allow more time for students to read or to learn how to write proper sentences. With these tools in place, some students may be rather responsive to the programs enabling them to become literate. Public schools have more influence over children because they teach children from all backgrounds, so techniques from other sources may be more difficult to execute. Public libraries also play a big role in influencing children of all ages to become upper level readers. While the library contains resources for the children, it can also offer an incentive program similar to the above-mentioned program within the elementary school. The library could run a program that rewards readers for reading specific books or specific genres of books during their summer break. The further into the program the children get, the greater the incentive. Libraries could also offer daily sessions in which a librarian will read books to younger children to interest them in literature. The problem with this is that not everyone has transportation to a library. These programs would be very helpful, but government programs could potentially reach the impoverished demographic more effectively. Government programs that aid low-income families to achieve higher levels of education can potentially solve illiteracy issues and reduce levels of poverty. A government-issued learning center specifically for low-income families, for example, would be an excellent idea. Some people oppose such government programming because of the tax money that is spent in the process. The money spent by the government to educate children within impoverished