On today's show, Adrian and Ethan discuss the effects of poverty on literacy.

There is mounting evidence that a child's early years are critical for determining later academic success. Poor kids are falling far behind.

Some children are at increased risk for reading difficulties. The more risk factors a child has, the more likely it is that he or she will encounter reading problems. Scientific research tells us that children who come from homes in poverty are often not ready to learn to read due to the impact poverty has on how their brains develop.

The gap can widen when kids don’t have access to books or high-quality learning experiences. And it can widen even more for kids growing up poor. Every subject in every class after third grade requires a textbook and critical-reading skills to be fully-engaged in the classroom.

37 percent of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. Children already need to be able to read well at this point in order to learn.

Researchers estimate that before ever entering kindergarten, cognitive scores for children of low-income families are likely to average 60 percent lower than those in the highest socioeconomic groups, something that remains true through high school.

We can always count on kids to see the issues and set out to make a difference.

11-Year-old Artist is Spreading Kindness Making Flags of Gratitude for Veterans and Health Workers

Thanks to the work of a super creative girl—since the pandemic hit in March, frontline staff in the area have been finding some very special items outside such places of work.

These ‘Flags of Gratitude’ are all made by 11-year-old Callie Danysh.

She paints the image for every flag or tile herself, and adds inspirational messages of support and appreciation on each one—so essential workers can know just how grateful we all are for the work they’re doing.

Callie, an 11-year-old, fifth grader from Alexander Hamilton School in Morristown, New Jersey, has drawn designs with marker pens on more than 2,000 tiny lawn flag markers, similar to the ones used to mark utility lines, meant to encourage and uplift others. They can all of which can be seen on the Flags of Gratitude Facebook page.