(Justmeans.com / CSR News) - Can you imagine your childhood without your favorite stories? Neither can we. But the fact is that most children in low income communities have few, if any, age appropriate books in their homes. They arrive at kindergarten developmentally behind and have one fourth the vocabulary of their mid-income peers by first grade.

Access to printed materials has been found to be the “critical variable affecting reading acquisition.” On average, children in economically depressed communities have 0-2 age appropriate books in their homes. Children in middle-income communities have an average of 54.(1)

The home environment – specifically the availability of reading material – is a stronger predictor of later academic achievement than socioeconomic status.(2)

Current research overwhelmingly supports the importance of facilitating early and emerging literacy skills in preschool-age children as a critical foundation for literacy development.(3)

Jumpstart – through Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign and intensive early education program – puts books in the homes of children who need them most and focuses on helping them make gains in crucial language and literacy skills.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record brings national attention to the importance of preparing our children to read at an early age by organizing the world’s largest shared reading experience. With support from our Sponsor and Founding Partner, Pearson, as well as, American Eagle Outfitters, Hanna Andersson, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, LeapFrog, NBC, Penguin Young Readers Group (publisher of the custom limited edition of Corduroy), and XM Satellite Radio, this year promises to be another record breaking event. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record will take place on October 2, with readers of all ages joining together to break the world record for the most children reading the same book with an adult on the same day.

Thousands of reading events will be organized by Governors, Mayors, schools, businesses, libraries, individuals and other organizations. During the past two years, more than 400,000 children participated in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Campaign. The campaign has raised more than $2,000,000 to support Jumpstart’s mission.

“Focusing everyone’s attention on one book for a single day is a great way to highlight the critical task of preparing young people for a lifetime of reading and learning,” said Jumpstart’s President James Cleveland. “We hope Jumpstart’s Read for the Record will encourage others to consider this problem and help them to recognize the important role Jumpstart plays in the lives of young children everywhere.”

This year’s official Campaign book is the beloved children’s classic Corduroy from Penguin Young Readers. The special edition features an introduction and request for support for the Campaign from NBC’s TODAY Show hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, a foreword by LL Cool J, and a collection of reading tips for parents of young children. The book will be available beginning in August from www.readfortherecord.org and at special retailers including Jumpstart’s Read for the Record sponsor, Hanna Andersson.

Jumpstart’s longstanding relationships with its national multi-year partners, American Eagle Outfitters, Pearson - Sponsor and Founding Partner, and Sodexo are a key component of its ongoing efforts to help at-risk children develop their language, literacy, and social skills in preparation for kindergarten. Further, their involvement ensures that 100% of the proceeds directly benefit Jumpstart’s work with at-risk children. Support of the campaign is just one of many ways in which these corporations make Jumpstart’s work possible.

Visit www.readfortherecord.org to find information on how to register to participate, donate books to Jumpstart children, as well as host or join shared reading events across the nation. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record 2008 campaign aims to be bigger than ever as together we break the world record and make early education a national priority.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record. One day. One book. For children everywhere. October 2, 2008.

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 3,500 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance.  During the 2007-2008 program year, Jumpstart is serving 13,000 children across 20 states, in partnership with 300 early learning centers and nearly 70 universities and colleges throughout the country.

Jumpstart’s national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, Sodexo and Starbucks. Jumpstart is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy’s Directors Award. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org.

About Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Sponsor and Founding Partner - Pearson Foundation
The Pearson Foundation extends Pearson's commitment to education by partnering with leading nonprofit, civic, and business organizations to provide financial, organizational, and publishing assistance across the globe. The Foundation aims to make a difference by sponsoring innovative educational programs and extending its educational expertise to help in classrooms and in local communities. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at www.pearsonfoundation.org.

About the Pearson Foundation and Jumpstart Partnership
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Campaign is just one component of the Pearson Jumpstart partnership. Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation share a passion for education and inspiring people to reach their full potential. These shared goals and values led Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation to create the Pearson Teacher Fellowship in 2001. Each year, the Pearson Teacher Fellowship provides the opportunity for a select group of achievement-oriented college graduates to enter the early education field by becoming preschool teachers in Head Start and other early learning centers serving at-risk children. The Fellowship provides these talented individuals a stipend, intensive training, assistance earning teaching certification, and additional support and resources during the first two years of their teaching careers. 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 over $2 million for Jumpstart’s work to help preschoolers from low-income communities with their language and literacy skills. Pearson’s involvement also ensures that more than 100,000 copies of the campaign book are given away each year to young people in need in classrooms across the United States. In addition, Jumpstart and Pearson were recognized for the Read for the Record collaboration as 2007 Cause Marketing Halo Award Winners. For more information, go to www.pearsonfoundation.org.

Sources:
1. Jeff McQuillan, the Literacy Crisis, California State University, 1998.
2. David K. Dickenson, Bridges to literacy, 1991.
3. Paulson et al, The Effects of an Early Reading Curriculum on Language and Literacy Development of Head Start Children. Journal of Research in Childhood Education. 18(3), 2004.