[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13878]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 593--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR DESIGNATION OF OCTOBER 7, 
            2010, AS ``JUMPSTART'S READ FOR THE RECORD DAY''

  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Begich) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 593

       Whereas Jumpstart, a national early education organization, 
     is working to ensure that all children in the United States 
     enter school prepared to succeed;
       Whereas Jumpstart recruits and trains college students and 
     community volunteers year-round to work with preschool 
     children in low-income communities, helping the children to 
     develop the key language and literacy skills they need to 
     succeed in school and in life;
       Whereas, since 1993, Jumpstart has engaged more than 20,000 
     adults in service to more than 70,000 young children in 
     communities across the United States;
       Whereas Jumpstart's Read for the Record, presented in 
     partnership with Pearson, is a world record-breaking 
     campaign, now in its fifth year, that harnesses the power of 
     reading by bringing adults and children together to read the 
     same book on the same day;
       Whereas the goals of the campaign are to raise national 
     awareness of the early literacy crisis, provide books to 
     children in low-income households through donations and 
     sponsorship, celebrate the commencement of Jumpstart's 
     program year, and raise money to support Jumpstart's year-
     long work with preschool children;
       Whereas October 7, 2010, would be an appropriate date to 
     designate as ``Jumpstart's Read for the Record Day'' because 
     Jumpstart aims to set the world record for the largest shared 
     reading experience on that date; and
       Whereas Jumpstart hopes to engage 2,500,000 children to 
     read Ezra Jack Keats' ``The Snowy Day'' during this record-
     breaking celebration of reading, service, and fun, all in 
     support of the preschool children of the United States: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of October 7, 2010, as 
     ``Jumpstart's Read for the Record Day'';
       (2) recognizes the fifth year of Jumpstart's Read for the 
     Record; and
       (3) encourages adults, including grandparents, parents, 
     teachers, and college students, to join children in creating 
     the largest shared reading experience in the world and to 
     show their support for early literacy and Jumpstart's early 
     education programming for young children in low-income 
     communities.

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as many of my colleagues know, I began my 
career as a preschool teacher back in my home State of Washington. My 
experience as a preschool teacher allowed me to see just how important 
early education is in shaping a person's life. As we all know, research 
illustrates that children who begin learning at an early age are more 
likely to be successful in their secondary education career--and to 
graduate from high school.
  During my time in the classroom, I could easily distinguish those 4-
year-olds who were read to at home. Their skills were more advanced 
because they had been introduced to sounds and words prior to beginning 
school. This is why I believe it is important for all of us to 
understand that reading to children at home fosters a sense of 
curiosity and a passion for learning that drives students throughout 
their academic careers.
  This is why I rise today to commend Jumpstart, a successful, national 
non-profit organization that focuses on developing the critical 
language and literacy skills of our young children in low-income 
communities.
  Beginning in 1993, Jumpstart has recruited and trained thousands of 
students and community volunteers to deliver a research-based and 
results-driven curriculum to over 70,000 preschool children across our 
country. During the 2009-2010 school year, Jumpstart partnered with 
over 250 preschools across 15 States and the District of Columbia to 
provide early education to 13,000 preschool children. Additionally, 
Jumpstart promotes reading at home through Read for the Record, an 
event that engages adults and children in the world's largest shared 
reading experience.
  In my home State of Washington, Jumpstart has played an important 
role in providing quality literacy skill development in the city of 
Seattle. During the 2009-2010 school year, over 150 volunteers served 
nearly 500 children in 9 preschools. I appreciate Jumpstart's 
commitment to Washington State and its continued dedication to 
providing essential skill development to prekindergarten children while 
stimulating our next generation by involving many student volunteers.

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