13. What Parents Need to Know About Today’s Literacy Crisis — Co-Host and Literacy Expert Gloria Breaks It Down
Parents today face conflicting pressures around early literacy for their children. On one side is the “just let them play until age seven” perspective; on the other, the push to “download this app to teach your two-year-old to read quickly.” Between these extremes, there’s far more to consider and thoughtfully discuss.
One universal truth: there are foundational literacy skills that are important from birth and that expand in relevance between the ages of 3-5. All children will move through mastering these skills on their own timeline, but introducing these foundations in developmentally-appropriate ways is critical. By the time children enter elementary, they will need these foundations to joyfully and confidently transition from learning to read to then reading to learn.
The United States has been grappling with a literacy crisis for decades. Roughly 21% of adults are illiterate, and more than half read below a sixth-grade level. Strong literacy and comprehension skills aren’t just academic—they’re essential for everyday independence and wellbeing. Tasks like signing a lease, understanding prescription instructions, filing taxes, or navigating legal documents all require advanced reading and critical thinking.
So where do we go from here? If we want to move the needle, it starts with taking a closer look at our education system and at home, to build environments that truly support literacy from the ground up, and, in a way that can break generational cycles.
Plan your next commute, walk, or errand with this episode, where co-host and literacy expert Gloria shares insights drawn from her experience in public classrooms, homeschooling, and tutoring. Grounded in both practice and research, Gloria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Literacy Education.
You can find the statistics mentioned in this episode here [https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics], as well as the research studies mentioned in this episode both here [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15656751/], here [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15656751/], and here.
We are two moms who met on Instagram years ago and quickly bonded over our love of the Montessori philosophy applied to parenting and over nerdy child development research. We decided to take the leap by finally taking our chats out of our DMs and inviting you to listen along as we chat about all things motherhood.
Gloria is a former 1st grade public school teacher turned SAHM and now Montessori homeschooling mom to her 6 and 4.5 year old. She mentors parents on Montessori homeschooling online and has created multiple masterclasses for parents and educators on how to teach children to read at a foundational level. You can find more about her mentorship program by clicking here [http://patreon.com/montessorimamalife]and more about her masterclasses and other printables she has created for homeschoolers by clicking here. [https://www.patreon.com/cw/MontessoriMamaLife/shop]You can find her on Instagram @MontessoriMamaLife [https://www.instagram.com/montessorimamalife/]
Jenna is a mom of three, communications strategist and child development writer. With a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a specialization in sociology, she began her career in newsrooms and nonprofits before discovering her true calling in education. She partners with Montessori school teams to strengthen their outreach, refine family communications, and foster deeper connections between parents and educators. You can follow her musings on Instagram @holdingspacemontessori. [https://www.instagram.com/holdingspacemontessori/]
