Literacy is the ability to read, write and understand written information. It's an important part of a person's educational journey--beginning in early childhood and continuing throughout adulthood. Being literate allows individuals to progress in their areas of study, their career paths and even in everyday life.

Literacy involves not only deciphering words on a page but also understanding language, as well as being able to think critically about the information found within those pages. It encompasses proficiency in multiple forms of communication—verbal, visual and digital—as well as being able to access information from both print materials and digital sources.