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Subscribe to RSSRead for the Record is an annual campaign to promote awareness for the early literacy crisis. Spearheaded by Jumpstart, a national early education organization that pairs college students and community volunteers with preschoolers in low-income neighborhoods for full school years, Read for the Record has broken records in the past, encouraging more children to read the same book on the same day. This year, Read for the Record has selected Ezra Jack Keats’ “The Snowy Day” as its book of choice, and several celebrities joined the TODAY Show on Rockefeller Plaza to show their support.
Want to find out more? Click here to check out Jumpstart’s official Read for the Record website. Have you gotten a jump on early literacy with your kids? Watch the video and tell us about it in the comments section.
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While reading to children is an excellent idea, a better idea is to let your children read to YOU. Learning to read at a young age is like giving them a vaccination against illiteracy. As a teacher of young children, professor of education, and researcher on the long-term effects of learning to read at an early age (i.e. Kindergarten or earlier), I have long been an advocate of teaching young children to read. Moreover, is a lot easier for parents (or anyone else) to do than they think. See website and associated research: www.3RsPlus.com.
DFarrell
Retired Professor of Education and Research
As a librarian, I find it infuriating that you talk about the importance of reading, especially in low income neighborhoods, and you make absolutely no mention of how public libraries provide early literacy resources at no cost to parents. Libraries are usually in the neighborhood, and provide preschool programming at various times so that parents with varying schedules can make sure their children are included.
Our children's librarian's are trained in early literacy techniques and while each storytime is entertaining, it is also teaching basic concepts and modeling reading behaviors for parents. Our library even has an early literacy bookmobile that visits preschools and daycare centers, and we provide grant-funded incentives like book bags and books to encourage families to follow-up with visits to local branches. Branch programs start with infant and toddler times, then children grow into preschool programs. This helps to provide the skills to empower parents to make their children successful readers. This happens all over the country. Why couldn't you have included libraries in your story?