Why education is a focal point for public health improvement

Improving literacy rates not only boosts the economic success of the community, but also has a positive impact on a community’s long-term wellbeing, said experts in public health at the University of Georgia’s 2019 State of the Public’s Health conference.

During one panel, speakers shared how an award called the Two-Generation Innovation Grant helps their organizations to connect parents with jobs and other resources, like access to education.

Parents often have difficulty in completing postsecondary education while raising children, panelists said. But improving literacy rates can eventually lead to healthier communities, said Suzanne Harbin, early childhood initiative director for the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia.

This is part of a series of briefs covering the 2019 State of the Public’s Health conference at the University of Georgia. Victoria Powell is a graduate student in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Please click here to read the full post.