Literacy in school-aged children: A paediatric approach to advocacy and assessment

Literacy is a key social determinant of health that affects the daily socioemotional lives of children and their economic prospects later in life. Being able to read, write, and understand written text is essential to participating in society, achieving goals, developing knowledge, and fulfilling potential. Yet a significant proportion of adults in Canada do not have the literacy skills they need to meet and manage increasingly complex workforce demands. Paediatric care providers play a pivotal role in identifying children and families at risk for low literacy. This statement offers approaches for assessing children and counselling families to improve reading skills while advocating for their right to access evidence-based reading instruction.