WASHINGTON-In an effort to promote early literacy in young children, Senator Chuck Grassley read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to a group of preschoolers in Washington, D.C. Grassley read the popular book by Eric Carle through the Jumpstart program’s Read for the Record.
“I enjoyed reading to the preschoolers. Their curiosity about the book was great to see,” Grassley said. “Literacy is very important. Research shows that reading aloud to children at an early age is vital to their development, and gives them a step up as they enter school.”
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record gathers participants around the world to bring as many people as possible together to read the same book. Jumpstart partners college students and low-income, high-risk preschoolers together for tutoring and mentoring in which literacy is highly focused upon.
Grassley has led an effort in the Senate to help children develop early literacy skills. He has introduced legislation to authorize a competitive grant program to support research-based pediatric early literacy programs.