The education gap
Children from economically disadvantaged families can be up to two years behind in language development before they enter school when compared to their higher-income peers. In fact, children of low-income families hear as little as one-third the amount of words children from higher-income families hear. That equates to a 30-million word gap by the time children are four years old.
In 2009, a Department of Education study showed half of Linn County low-income five year olds were not ready for kindergarten.