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Grand Island Public Schools joins Jumpstart's Read for the Record
The Grand Island Public Schools will celebrate Jumpstart's Read for the Record on Oct. 15. Read for the Record is a national campaign designed to break the world record for the largest shared reading experience and to break the cycle of illiteracy.
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers will read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to students in their classrooms. The Pearson Foundation donated 90 copies of the book to the school district.
"Jumpstart's Read for the Record is a positive way to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy skills," said Vernon Fisher, assistant superintendent for student learning for the Grand Island Public Schools.
The Grand Island Public Schools has approximately 420 pre-kindergarten students and 730 kindergarten students.
Jumpstart -- through Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign and intensive early education programs -- puts books in the homes of children who need them most and focuses on helping them make gains in crucial language and literacy skills. The Pearson Foundation, sponsor and founding partner of the campaign, is once again underwriting the cost of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" from Philomel Books.
The activities are designed to generate public awareness about the importance of early childhood education. Shared reading experiences can range from an adult and child reading in their home to large group events with hundreds of people gathering at public facilities for community reading sessions. Last year, Jumpstart's Read for the Record raised almost $2 million to directly support and expand the organizationís early education work in low-income communities.
Jumpstart's mission is to ensure that all children in America enter school prepared to succeed. Year-round, Jumpstart recruits and trains thousands of people to work one-to-one with children in low-income communities, helping preschoolers develop the language, literacy, and social skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Since 1993, thousands of Jumpstart mentors have helped more than 75,000 children from low-income communities around the country enter school ready to learn at grade level. To find out more, visit
http://www.jstart.org
The Pearson Foundation partners with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe. In 2006, Pearson and its businesses (The Financial Times Group, The Penguin Group, and Pearson Education) became the sponsor and founding partner of Jumpstart's Read for the Record, which to date has raised $4.5 million for Jumpstart's work to help preschoolers from low-income communities with their language and literacy skills.
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For more information, contact: Dr. Vernon Fisher, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning, Grand Island Public Schools, (308) 385-5900,
vfisher@gips.org; Deb Harder, Elementary Teaching and Learning Director, Grand Island Public Schools, (308) 385-5900,
dharder@gips.org; Pam Dobrovolny, Early Childhood Supervisor, Early Childhood Center, 4360 W. Capital Ave., (308) 385-5655,
pdobrovo@gips.org
It is the policy of the Grand Island Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities or employment policies as required by Title VI, Title IX, &Section 504.EOE/AA.