News
Mayor Gibson - Read for the World Record
Henderson Is First City in the Nation to Join Matt Lauer of NBC and First Lady Laura Bush in
National Effort to Promote Reading
August 24, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE
PLEASE CONTACT BUD CRANOR 702-267-2053 OR DEBRA HASKELL 702-267-4035
Henderson, Nev. – As part of the APPLE Partnership, Mayor James B. Gibson and the Southeast Region of the Clark County School District (CCSD) will participate in Jumpstart Read for the Record, a national campaign to engage people all across America in setting the world record for the largest shared reading experience ever.
On August 24, 2006 at 11 a.m. at the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center (1575 Galleria Drive), Mayor Gibson and representatives from the Clark County School District, national sponsors and other local dignitaries will join nearly 1,000 local children to help set the world record and promote childhood literacy.
“Early learning experiences are crucial to the growth and development of young children,” said Mayor Gibson. “Jumpstart’s Read for the Record provides opportunities for everyone in the United States to support quality early education and to engage in the powerful learning experiences that Jumpstart models in its classrooms every day.”
The City of Henderson was the first city in the nation to join the literacy effort, according to Paul McFall, President of Pearson Scott Foresman, one of the national partners for the effort. Starbucks Coffee, American Eagle Outfitters and the Corporation for National and Community Service are also national partners.
“Pearson applauds the City of Henderson and the Clark County School District for being the first to sign on as Read for the Record champions in America,” said McFall. “Research tells us that one in three children in the U.S. enter kindergarten without the vocabulary and other related skills necessary to succeed in school, and that these same youngsters fall farther beyond their peers throughout their school years. Pearson is committed to working with Jumpstart and our good colleagues in Nevada to address this issue, and provide innovative solutions to begin to reverse these alarming statistics.”
The APPLE Partnership is a partnership between the City of Henderson, the Southeast Region of the Clark County School District, parents, teachers and local businesses teamed up to promote early childhood literacy. In addition to the Whitney Ranch location, nearly 1,000 children throughout Henderson will participate in the effort at the Silver Springs, Black Mountain and Henderson Multigenerational Recreation Centers to participate.
Mayor Gibson encourages readers of all ages to register at www.readfortherecord.org and sign up to read the campaign’s official book, The Little Engine That Could.
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ABOUT JUMPSTART’S READ FOR THE RECORD:
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Campaign serves to raise awareness about the early education crisis, provide effective tools to address this crisis, and increase support for Jumpstart’s important work. Through this Campaign, Jumpstart and its partners – including Starbucks, Pearson, Penguin (USA), American Eagle and the Corporation for National and Community Service – will further their national impact by inviting adults across America to read with young children and set the world record for the number of children reading the same book in a single day with an adult. The record-setting day: August 24, 2006… The record-setting book: The Little Engine That Could. Children and adults will set the record by registering for the event (at www.readfortherecord.org) and reading in their own homes or at one of the many community events held nationwide – in Starbucks stores, shopping malls, public libraries, parks and other venues.
ABOUT JUMPSTART:
Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 2,500 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance. During the 2005-2006 programr, Jumpstart served 10,000 children in 60 communities across 22 states, in partnership with 225 Head Start and other early learning centers across the country. Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, and Starbucks. Jumpstart is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005 and 2006) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy’s Directors Award. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org. For more information about Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign, visit www.readfortherecord.org.
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