69 Literacy: A key skill for the future

TD strives to create opportunities for youth, and one way we do that is by promoting children’s literacy, which is a critical cornerstone of a child’s development.

Why it matters

In today’s skills-based economy, robust literacy is not a nice-to-have, it is a must-have.

Numerous studies demonstrate the impact of improved literacy on an individual’s education, health, income and career opportunities. Competence in basic literacy is also a necessary foundation for skills development in other fields, such as financial literacy.

There are several barriers, however, constraining the ability of children to become fully literate. Among them are access to books and opportunities to read – things many of us take for granted. Literacy experts also cite another challenge: that literacy is deeply underappreciated.

Breaking down barriers to literacy

TD wants to help break down these barriers and has partnered with many organizations working on the front lines to end illiteracy. Our investment of $4 million in 2012 supported and promoted children’s literacy initiatives across our footprint, such as:

Strengthen Our Communities

• Summer reading programs across North America, which helped almost 600,000 children keep their minds active during their summer break;

• The distribution of half a million free books to Canadian children through the TD Grade One Book Giveaway;

• First Book, a not-for-profit that provides books for children in underserved communities throughout North America; and

• Children’s literature awards, which support children’s authors and foster new reading resources for kids.

Our employees also helped advance children’s literacy last year. For example, TD volunteers participated in summer reading programs in the U.S. and at schools in the U.K. to assist kids with their reading skills as part of the Right to Read program.

TD 2012 Corporate Responsibility Report