Photo 1: Pearson employees Mary Ann Bandini and Elaine Puzio read to the enthusiastic children at the Turrell Child Care & Early Learning Center. Photo 2: Pearson employees Joseph Pietroburgo and Amy Monisha Kumar read The Story of Ferdinand to an attentive group of children at the Turrell Child Care & Early Learning Center. Photo 3: Pearson employees Anne Adamo and Keri Molinari captivate the children from the Turrell Child Care & Early Learning Center with their reading of The Story of Ferdinand. |
(Paramus, NJ) September 28, 2007 - Enthusiastic employees from Upper Saddle River-based Pearson PLC returned to Children's Aid and Family Services' Turrell Child Care & Early Learning Center for the second year in a row with a purpose - to set a world record by reading The Story of Ferdinand to as many children as possible. The employees split into groups of two to read to eight classrooms full of excited children. When they finished reading, they gave each child his or her own copy of the book and a sticker proclaiming their participation in the special event. The children were then given a chance to read passages from the book aloud.
The effort is part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign. Jumpstart is a national non-profit organization that pairs college students one-on-one with preschoolers from low-income communities to build literacy, language and social skills. The goal of the campaign is to show support for early learning and the importance of reading with children - and to set a world record. The sponsors of the event were American Eagle Outfitters, Hanna Andersson, Hyatt Hotel & Resorts, NBC, Penguin Young Readers Group, Pearson PLC, Toys "R" Us, Sodexho, and XM Satellite Radio.
"I'm grateful to Pearson PLC for taking the time to read to the children at the Turrell Center," says Bob Jones, Ph.D., president & CEO, Children's Aid and Family Services. "Besides being a fun, family-focused activity, reading to young children sets a foundation for them to achieve lifelong learning and future success."
Pearson is an international media and education company. Its three major businesses are: Pearson Education, the global leader in transforming education through personalized learning in print and digital formats; The Financial Times Group, an international network of business and financial newspapers and online services that are read by millions of business executives and investors every day; and Penguin Group, one of the pre-eminent names in consumer publishing with an unrivalled range of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, and classic titles. For more information, visit www.pearson.com.
Children's Aid and Family Services is one of the largest regional, nonprofit human services organizations serving northern New Jersey. The agency is fully accredited and has served our community for more than 100 years. Its mission is to preserve, protect and, when needed, provide families. Motivated by compassion for vulnerable children, young adults, frail elderly and their families, it provides high-quality and innovative services that meet their social, educational and emotional needs. For more information, please visit www.cafsnj.org.
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