Jumpstart

Meet our School District of the Year: Portsmouth Public Schools in Portsmouth, VA. 🏆

In Portsmouth, literacy isn't just a lesson, it's a year-long commitment. This year, 167 dedicated teachers mobilized every single school in the district for what they called a "Symphony of Stories," ensuring the magic of reading See Marcus Grow extended far beyond the page.

It takes dedicated teachers to turn a book into a moment children remember. Portsmouth has 167 of them. Whole-district dedication like this is rare, and it means everything to the children who experience it.

Congratulations, Portsmouth Public Schools! 🎉📚

What a beautiful night at Oracle Park! 🧡🖤 Our CEO Crystal Rountree had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game.

A heartfelt thank you to Greg and Tracy Johnson for hosting our team in the Franklin Templeton Suite, and to Larry Baer and the San Francisco Giants for welcoming us so graciously.

Even while enjoying the game, our mission to uplift the importance of early literacy was front and center. We were grateful for the opportunity to share book bundles with players and their children.

Joining Crystal were Development team members Alba and Victoria, along with board member Ay'Anna Moody from the Golden State Community Foundation, and a wonderful group of Bay Area supporters from family foundations, finance, real estate, and consulting.

From the boardroom to the ballpark, it's partnerships like these, rooted in shared purpose and a commitment to children, that make our mission possible. Here's to doing more, together. 🤝

Today, we're celebrating Award winner for Best Community Celebration: Griffin-Spalding County Schools in Griffin, GA. Their Read for the Record celebration proved that literacy is a team sport 🤝📚 The Griffin-Spalding County School System, Griffin GA

The Department of Exceptional Students partnered with Ferst Readers of Spalding County to get books into daycares, doctors' offices, and private speech-language clinics, and the Spalding County Collaborative Committee placed books in Free Libraries around town.

Together, they distributed 800 books and reached 20,910 students. And the ripple didn't stop there! A 12th-grade student from British Columbia started reading See Marcus Grow on Facebook Live every Sunday evening.

The Best Community Celebration Award recognizes celebrations that bring people together in extraordinary ways. Griffin-Spalding didn't just bring people together, they showed what intentional, community-wide literacy partnership can actually look like.

Congratulations to every educator, organization, and community member who made this happen. 🎉

We're so proud to spotlight our First-Time Participant Award winner: Wallace A. Smith Elementary School in Ooltewah, TN. 🏫✨

For their very first Read for the Record, they threw open their doors to the whole community, welcoming the superintendent, the local news crew, and neighbors to read See Marcus Grow to every classroom at the same time.

And when the school day ended? The celebration kept going with a literacy night with food trucks, smiles everywhere, and more than 800 people in attendance.

Congratulations to Wallace A. Smith Elementary School and thank you for showing the children in your community the value of shared reading. 🎉 That's exactly what Read for the Record Day is all about. We can't wait to see how you participate in the 21st annual Read for the Record!

What an incredible night at Fenway Park! ⚾ Recently, Jumpstart staff, volunteers, and their friends and family had the honor of attending a game through the Red Sox’s Commissioner’s Community Initiative - a complimentary ticket program recognizing organizations working to support underserved communities. We are so grateful to the Red Sox, the MLB Commissioner's Office, and the Players Give Back program for this special recognition and for championing the important work happening for children every day. 🙏

👉 Swipe to see a little surprise from the last time we teamed up with our friends from Fenway. You might recognize a very fuzzy green face… 🟢👀

Boston Red Sox

Every year, communities from Brazil to Boston show up for children by opening their doors, rallying their neighbors, and putting books into kids' hands. This year was no different. These four communities went above and beyond, and we are so proud to celebrate them.

🏫 First-Time Participant Award: Wallace A. Smith Elementary School in Ooltewah, TN

🌟 Best Community Celebration Award: The Griffin-Spalding County School System, Griffin GA

🏆 School District of the Year: Portsmouth Public Schools

🎒 Full Backpack Award (brand new this year!): Broward Community Schools

All four winners joined an exclusive virtual read aloud with See Marcus Grow author Marcus Bridgewater himself where kids got to ask him questions live and soaked up his legendary life wisdom. It was one of the most magical moments we've ever hosted. 📖✨

Stay tuned - over the coming weeks, we're spotlighting each winner. Follow along and get to know the communities proving that when everyone shows up for reading, children thrive.

Congratulations to all four winners, and thank you to every person, school, and community who participated this year.

Early childhood educators don't just shape classrooms, they shape futures. 🌟

This , Jumpstart is celebrating every teacher who sparks a love of reading, builds confidence in a young child, and creates a space where every single student in their classroom feels like they truly belong.

Your commitment to these early years doesn't go unnoticed. It echoes for a lifetime, and we are honored to stand alongside you in this work. ❤️

Yesterday our CEO Crystal Rountree joined The Queen's Reading Room at NYPL The New York Public Library for a day in honor of Her Majesty Queen Camilla, hosted in partnership with CVC.

The morning roundtable brought together nonprofit leaders, neuroscientists, and researchers to examine the evidence behind reading as a tool for wellbeing and trauma recovery.

One striking finding: Just five minutes of reading fiction can reduce stress by nearly 20%. The afternoon continued with a fireside chat featuring authors Min Jin Lee and Harlan Coben, moderated by Jenna Bush Hager, followed by a literary reception hosted on behalf of the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner KCMG.

At Jumpstart, the power of reading begins at ages 3 to 5, when a trained caring individual transforms a read-aloud into a real back-and-forth conversation with a child. That's how language, literacy, and life skills take root. The Queen's Reading Room is building the evidence base for how reading shapes wellbeing across the life course. We're proud to be there during the foundational years that make it all possible.

At the reception, Crystal had the chance to share Jumpstart's mission directly with Her Majesty. Her affirmation of the importance of the earliest years reflected what we hear from families, educators, and communities every day.

Deep thanks to The Queen's Reading Room for the invitation, to CVC for making the day possible, and to The New York Public Library for hosting. We look forward to deepening our impact alongside The Queen's Reading Room, Reading Partners, and fellow literacy champions.

YOU did this. 📚✨

2.1 million readers.
180,000+ books in little hands.
51 states and territories.
13 countries.
ONE historic year.

The 20th anniversary of Jumpstart's Read for the Record™ goes down in history because of you. Every educator who read aloud. Every family who curled up on the couch. Every librarian, volunteer, and community partner who showed up for early literacy.

Drop a ❤️ or a 🙌 in the comments if you were part of this historic year. We want to celebrate every single one of you.