James Cole, Jr., general counsel, delegated the duties of deputy secretary, will read with children, caregivers and special guests at Jumpstart’s Read for the Record event at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Cole will discuss the importance of reading and early learning, and he will read with over 100 students participating in the event.
Read for the Record is Jumpstart’s largest national campaign, launched over a decade ago, to help address the educational inequalities that leave too many children unprepared for kindergarten. Each year on Read for the Record day, children and adults gather to read and learn, as part of the world’s largest shared reading experience. Since 2006, Read for the Record has engaged over 17 million children and adults. This year’s event will include small group readings and activities centered around the official campaign book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, by Julia Sarcone-Roach.
The nation’s new education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), provides more opportunities to expand early learning by reaffirming the use of federal Title I funds to support preschool-aged children and building on the work of the original Preschool Development Grants. The U.S. Department of Education recently released non-regulatory guidance to help ensure young children from birth through third-grade get the strong start they need to achieve success in school and in life.