Former First Lady Barbara Bush Launches New Preschool Education Partnership Between the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and The Malvern School

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 1991, former first lady Barbara Bush hosted a popular children's radio show called, "Mrs. Bush's Story Time," with one simple goal—to encourage children and their parents to read aloud together. Two years ago, the Malvern school—a private, pre-school headquartered in Pennsylvania, along with Mrs. Bush, re-launched Story Time by creating teaching packets that were implemented successfully in all 20 pre-schools, reaching more than 2,000 children.

Today, Mrs. Bush, along with Kristen Waterfield, president and COO of the Malvern School, and Dr. Shirley Hammond, Bush Library and Museum director of education, officially launched a new preschool education partnership between The Malvern School and the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University.

The new partnership utilizes these original teaching tools based upon Mrs. Bush's Story Time, and designed by The Malvern School's pre-school education experts. Each revolves around Mrs. Bush reading six popular children's books including: "Arthur Meets the President," and "Corduroy," among others. They provide teachers with innovative methods to teach children about reading fundamentals, as well as expose them to the depth of the stories in an effort to teach life lessons—even basic civics and American history. The teaching packets will be offered to schools and libraries across the country free-of-charge. In addition, the Bush Library and Museum Education Department's classroom will host Story Time events as well as utilize their online and distance learning capabilities. 

According to Mrs. Bush, this next phase of the Story Time evolution will expand her literacy efforts to include an even larger preschool audience.

"When we originally launched Mrs. Bush's Story Time, we were very pleased with that more than 2 million children and their parents enjoyed reading aloud together." she said. "I am thrilled that the Malvern School is encouraging reading through the Story Time activities. The Bush Library is taking advantage of these innovative teaching tools, and I encourage all schools and libraries to follow their lead."

Hammond said the materials developed by The Malvern School will be used by the education department to expand learning opportunities for preschool children.

"Encouraging children to love reading is important. We look forward to sharing Mrs. Bush's Story Time reading and activities with preschool children when they visit the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum," Hammond said.

Waterfield said that the partnership between the Bush Library and Museum would provide Mrs. Bush's Story Time teaching tools to schools and libraries across the country that need them the most.

"We are very fortunate to have some of the most talented pre-school educators in the country," said Waterfield. "I'm so proud of the work they did to create these wonderful teaching tools, and most of all, we've seen the dramatic results from our students, teachers and parents who can't wait to implement the events each semester. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Bush Library, and want to thank Mrs. Bush for her continued support and dedication to literacy," she said.

Waterfield added that the Malvern teachers who developed the curriculum packets, found the lessons and events enriched the children's learning and helped build a sense of community among all of the participating schools. In addition, the emphasis placed on high-quality literature has also helped teachers build children's basic understanding of books and stories, master new vocabulary, introduce new concepts, and inspire them to read for fun and knowledge.  It has also underscored, according to Waterfield, the importance of reading aloud to children.

For more information about Mrs. Bush's Story Time go to http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/storytime, email to [email protected], or call (979) 691-4013. Teaching packets can be downloaded from The Malvern School website at http://www.malvernschool.com/mrs-bushs-story-time.

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University is part of the National Archives and Records Administration's Presidential Libraries network. The Bush Library and Museum is a leading research institution, popular area tourist attraction and proud community partner. The museum tells the story of the life and times of George Bush, 41st President of the United States, with emphasis on family, leadership, public service and civic literacy. For more information, visit the Bush Library and Museum website at bushlibrary.tamu.edu.

The Malvern School is a private early childhood education facility with 20 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They offer year round programs for infants, toddlers, and preschool, pre-kindergarten and school-age children. Their degreed teachers provide hands-on learning activities based on the highest standards of early childhood education. www.malvernschool.com.

SOURCE The Malvern School