Eastern Michigan University student volunteers have helped
set a world record for reading.
Approximately 17 students from EMU read "The Little Engine
That Could" to about 160 local elementary school children
at several locations in Ypsilanti Aug. 24. It was part
of the Jumpstart Program's Read for the Record nationwide
effort to read the same book to a record number of kids
at the same time.
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RECORD READERS:
Approximately 17 EMU students
read "The Little Engine That
Could" to about 160
local
elementary school children at
several locations
in Ypsilanti
Aug. 24. It was part of the
Jumpstart
program's "Read for
the Record"
nationwide.
|
About 150,000 pre-registered for the national event, which
was designed to bring attention and interest to improving
literary and language skills.
"Early learning experiences are crucial to the growth
and development of young children," said Christie Cadmus,
program coordinator at Eastern Michigan University. "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."
Local sponsors included Starbucks Arborland, the Briarwood
Mall, 826 Michigan, Dorothy's Discovery Center, Adventure
Center and the Pinckney Community Library.
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
program year, 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.
Cadmus said that about 60,000 books have been given out
this year nationwide.
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