One day. One book. For children everywhere.
All children deserve to have a good book read to them. The importance of reading to children is significant in child development, and reading books to little ones at an early age is essential. In fact, reading children’s stories aloud is one of the most important activities we, as educators or parents, grandparents, and care-givers, can do for our kids. The importance of reading to children plays out in a myriad of developmental, emotional, and learning issues from bonding and security . . . to learning to read . . . to future success.
The best part about reading children’s stories to our little ones is that we can ALL do it! We don't have to be experts, or rocket scientists, or even millionaires to experience the joys of snuggling up with our little ones and enjoying a special story. Isn't it great to know that something so simple can make such a difference?
We recognize learning to read begins long before a child enters school and is critical if a child is to experience success in school and throughout life. We at KSDE are committed to providing the best possible service to the children of Kansas and their families.
With the importance of reading so vital to a child’s development, KSDE has joined in the 2008 Jumpstart Read for the Record campaign. Jumpstart, a national campaign sponsored by the Pearson Foundation, encourages hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read the same book, Corduroy, on the same day—October 2, 2008. This expansive shared reading experience is intended to raise public awareness about the early education gap that exists between income levels, as well as raise money to support Jumpstart’s national early education programs. We at the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) and teachers in schools 
across our state will be participating in this campaign. KSDE staff will be heading out into surrounding communities to read to children. Won’t you join me and others across our state and nation in this campaign? For more information, please visit www.readfortherecord.org
Can you imagine your childhood without your favorite stories? Neither can we. But the fact is that most children in low income communities have few, if any, age appropriate books available to them. By participating in many collaborative activities, KSDE ensures that books are available to all children. One such collaboration, with Renaissance Learning, is to create Kansas All Books Connect (KS ABC), a web-based book-searching tool, designed to assist students in finding interesting and appropriate books. The Kansas Health Foundation has also committed $6 million dollars to the Pediatric Foundation’s campaign Reach Out and Read—an initiative to put age appropriate books in doctors’ offices for young patients.
Gabriela Mistral has said, “Many things can wait; the child cannot. Now is the time his bones are being formed, his mind is being developed. To him, we cannot say tomorrow; his name is today.”
If you already read to a child or student daily . . . BRAVO to you! You understand the importance of reading to children. If you only read occasionally, we encourage you to read more often. If you don't read books to your kids, we hope to convince you about the importance of reading to children and get you started reading together TODAY!
Thank you for joining us this month as we highlight early childhood literacy. By participating in Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign on October 2, 2008, you made a difference in the lives of children everywhere. For your participation, I thank you.
Dr. Alexa Posny
Kansas Commissioner of Education