A 1992 survey by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics estimated that about 21 percent of the adult population  more than 40 million Americans over the age of 16 had only rudimentary reading and writing skills. Most adults in this "level one" category could pick out key facts in a brief newspaper article, for example, but could not draft a letter explaining an error on their credit card bill.

          Many adults have been pleasantly surprised by their own incidental improvement in reading and spelling when completing PLAY 'n TALK lessons with their child. The recorded courses offer an excellent "do-it-yourself-at-your-own-pace" program with no embarrassment since the program is implemented in the privacy of your own home.