At its root, this is a social problem. When people make barely enough money to subsist they don’t really rate “developing literacy time” very high on their hierarchy of needs.

It’s more than just telling parents “work less and read to your child,” especially if there’s nothing to fall back on to pay for child care that’s impossible to find for even those unburdened by poverty, or paying half of every check to rent, or the enormous rising cost of groceries.

When it comes down to the most brass of tacks, any parent would find it patronizing as fuck to be told they are failing their children because they have to work themselves to death instead of having the luxury of free time. And, of course, they understand that.

Strong social safety nets and support are what we need anyway, whether or not we’re parents.