Two and a half percent. That is the percentage of one-year-olds in Onondaga County who tested positive for lead poisoning in 2024. That is also the percentage of lead poisoning cases that could have been prevented with an early warning system designed to intervene when children are in the extremely vulnerable 0-12 month age range. Even more alarmingly, less than 20% of students in the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) have tested proficient in reading and writing by grade three in the past decade.
The Central New York Community Foundation’s latest issue paper examines the relationship between childhood lead exposure and third grade English Language Arts proficiency in Syracuse, NY. Their findings reveal a strong correlation between elevated blood lead levels in early childhood and low reading and writing scores later on. They present a new early warning system designed to identify and assist children in high-risk neighborhoods before exposure occurs, with the goal of improving long-term academic outcomes.
