Read for the Record

Jumpstart is a “national early education non-profit organization that trains college students and community corps members to serve preschool students in low-income neighborhoods”. The mission of Jumpstart is to “work toward the day where every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed in order to help close the achievement gap”. Corps members serve over 300 hours per semester through prepping lessons and teaching lessons to develop literacy skills that will prepare preschool students for beginning Kindergarten. Corps members can have any major, but they all share a passion for working with young students and literacy.

Jumpstart holds a world record for the largest shared reading experience and on October 21st, 2014 that record was achieved on a larger scale! Read for the Record is a day where Jumpstart corp members as well as hundreds of volunteers nationwide go into preschools and read the same story. This year, the book was Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. After the students were read to, they colored their own bunny ears as an activity! There w51+H1wpnS9L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_ere over 100 volunteers, 19 businesses and organizations represented, 700 children read to, in 5 preschool centers and 37 classrooms. This large collective impact from Temple University’s Jumpstart site, added to the nationwide shared reading experience which topped the previous years record! There were several noteworthy volunteers that came to participate in Read for the Record, such as congressman Chaka Fattah and state senator Shirley Kitchen! Mayor Michael Nutter declared October 21st, Read for the Record Day!

I was so excited to be a volunteer in this wonderful day! I went to Norris Square Civic Association to read in one of the preschool classrooms. The school is a bilingual school. It was such a happy environment and the students were SO excited about reading Bunny Cakes! I loved sharing my passion for teaching as a part of this record setting day! To top off a great morning, Schmear It – bagel food truck, pulled up to Temple University’s campus and a portion of the proceeds went to Jumpstart Philly!

Fellow College of Education Student Ambassador, Erin, and I walking to NSCA to Read for the Record! :)

Fellow College of Education Student Ambassador, Erin, and I walking to NSCA to Read for the Record! 🙂

Mmm, got the Jumpstart featured bagel - chocolate chip with cream cheese and strawberries! You custom pick which spread you want and any mix-ins! SO GOOD! :)

Mmm, got the Jumpstart featured bagel – chocolate chip with cream cheese and strawberries! You custom pick which spread you want and any mix-ins! SO GOOD! 🙂

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