CONTACT:

Sara Sinek
Scholastic Inc.
ssinek@scholastic.com
(212) 343-6899

Michael Barrett
Scholastic Inc.
mbarrett@scholastic.com
(212) 343-6570

Scholastic Leads the Way in Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness with “Big Day for Pre-K” Curriculum, Preschool Magazines, Preschool Book Fairs, Free Workshops for Parents and Great Books for Babies and Preschoolers

NEW YORK – August 13, 2014 – Following the release of a new policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which prescribes reading aloud to children starting at birth, Scholastic is kicking off the 2014 school year with an expanded and robust selection of early childhood resources and programs to support learning at home and in preschool or childcare settings for children ages birth to 5 years. Scholastic’s early childhood resources include: a complete pre-K curriculum, “Big Day for Pre-K”; expanded book selections through Scholastic Reading Club and Scholastic Preschool Book Fairs; early education-readiness parent workshops; two preschool classroom magazines, Let’s Find Out and My Big World™; and other programs and materials created by early childhood experts.

“It is crucial that every child be exposed to age-appropriate books and early reading materials before they enter preschool,” said Francie Alexander, Chief Academic Officer. “Scholastic continues to bridge the learning and literacy gap by providing an array of preschool programs, books and resources for parents and teachers to ensure all children have the opportunity to discover the power and joy of reading at an early age.”

THE FACTS: The Importance of Early Learning and Literacy Development

• Language and literacy development begins at birth and gaps in achievement appear well before kindergarten entry.¹
• Preschool readiness at the home, combined with high-quality preschool education, is one of the highest indicators for future success as a young child into adulthood.²
• By three years of age, children who experience language-rich environments have a vocabulary of nearly 1,100; children without these experiences possess only about 500 words.³

THE RESOURCES: Scholastic Preschool Readiness Programs and Products

1. Expanded Reading Club for Pre-Readers: Scholastic Reading Club has ramped up the focus on early childhood reading by expanding the successful preschool book clubs: “Honeybee®” (toddlers to 4-years-old); “Firefly®” (pre-K and kindergarten); “Early Childhood”; and “Kindergartners.” This school year, these book catalogs will offer parents and teachers even more age-appropriate titles and special collections for pre-readers, as recommended by early childhood organizations including AAP and Reach Out and Read. Scholastic Reading Club is also launching a new early childhood advisory board consisting of preschool teachers from across the country, and a new Baby Boutique, offering parents our top 100 choices to help start a child’s first home library. Parents and teachers can learn more at www.scholastic.com/readingclubs.
2. Preschool Book Fairs: Scholastic Book Fairs offers special Preschool Book Fairs (http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/experience/preschool.asp) nationwide, featuring a wide selection of carefully selected books for children ages birth to 5 years, including popular series, award-winners, new releases and other titles that will ignite young imaginations and instill a love of reading.  In addition, Scholastic Book Fairs offers a free program that helps families prepare their children to get a great start in school: the Kindergarten Readiness Program (http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/programs/kindergarten-readiness/). The program offers free tips and interactive activities, including English and Spanish versions, to ensure all children are prepared for their early school years.
3. Preschool Classroom Curriculum: Scholastic’s “Big Day for Pre-K” program utilizes the most current research about early learning for preschool classrooms across the country to ensure that all children, including English Language Learners, build the academic and social-emotional foundations they need to succeed in kindergarten. The program provides teachers with child-friendly themes and curriculum for the whole school year. To learn more, go to www.scholastic.com/bigdayforprek.
4. Teaching Resources: Scholastic offers more than 100 products to support early childhood educators, including guided reading programs, learning games, hands-on activities, professional resources for the classroom and more. Video workshop programs featuring early childhood education thought leaders, including “The ABCs of Emergent Literacy” and the new “Engaging Families in Children’s Literacy” (debuting November 2014), provide teachers the best instructional strategies to use with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. For more information, visit the Scholastic Teacher Store at www.scholastic.com/teacherstore. 
5. Early Childhood Books, Apps and Media: Scholastic publishes age-appropriate books for infants, toddlers and preschool students, including board books, novelty books, hardcover picture books, paperback titles, and coloring/activity books. New titles available for fall 2014 include Clifford Visits the Zoo, Dinosaurumpus, Peppa Pig: Ballet Lesson, The Night Parade and more. In addition, Scholastic offers engaging early childhood apps emphasizing early reading skills, discovery learning and emotional play with popular characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog™, Astroblast! ™ and WordGirl™.

For more information about Scholastic, visit the Scholastic media room at mediaroom.scholastic.com. For more information about preschool readiness, please visit the Scholastic Parents site.

REFERENCES:

• A Governor’s Guide to Literacy: Getting All Students Reading by Third Grade, National Governors Association, 2013. http://bit.ly/1j7M3L3
• Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education, H. Yoshikawa & et. al., Foundation for Child Development, 2013. http://bit.ly/1thtoiV.
• The Preschool Experiences We Deserve: A Guide for Families, FIS (Families in Schools). http://bit.ly/1skihYO