LitWorld Teams Up with Scholastic to Launch the Biggest World Read Aloud Day Celebration Ever

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global literacy non-profit LitWorld and title sponsor Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, are teaming up to present the biggest ever World Read Aloud Day celebration on February 24, 2016. An advocacy day that mobilizes individuals and organizations in all 50 states and more than 100 countries worldwide, World Read Aloud Day 2016 is jam-packed with new partners, resources and opportunities for educators, families and children to experience the joy of reading aloud and to advocate for more access to books and quality literacy learning that will "Open a World of Possible" for children worldwide.

Research shows that reading aloud to children every day is proven to put them almost a year ahead of children who are not read to, regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background¹. In addition, the Kids & Family Reading Report™ found that 83% of kids ages 6–17 say they love or loved being read aloud to. Yet nearly one in four parents stop reading aloud to their children by the age of 9 and 40% of kids ages 6–11 wish their parents had continued reading aloud. Now in its seventh year, World Read Aloud Day is designed to encourage everyone to keep reading aloud at any age.

World Read Aloud Day 2016 Activities and Resources Include:

• Twitter chat: Literacy experts and authors Pam Allyn (@pamallyn) and Donalyn Miller (@donalynbooks) will host a Twitter chat on February 18 (3:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. PST) to engage directly with parents and teachers about best practices for empowering all children as readers. Join the conversation using #WRAD16.

• Free downloadable resources: World Read Aloud Day 2016 resources are available for free download on the LitWorld website and can be used by individuals or organizations to plan World Read Aloud Day celebrations. The resources provide tools for scheduling virtual read aloud connections with published authors and other classrooms across the globe. Teachers can schedule Skype connections with authors and classrooms across six continents for World Read Aloud Day.

• Scholastic Book Fairs World Read Aloud Kit: Throughout the month of February, the kit will be distributed to more than 1,000 school book fairs that will be held on or around World Read Aloud Day. The Scholastic Book Fairs kit is also available for free download for families and teachers to host their own World Read Aloud Day party. The kit provides ideas for hosting a read aloud event and includes read aloud program materials, printable bookmarks, tips for facilitators and more!

• My Very Own Library (MVOL) Events Nationwide: Scholastic Book Fairs and the MVOL literacy program are hosting World Read Aloud Day events at schools in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Newark, NJ; Richmond, CA; and Wilmington, DE. At each event, students will receive three free take-home books, and will join Scholastic authors for a read aloud.

• "100 Best Books to Read Aloud" List: LitWorld, Scholastic and Orajel™, a family sponsor of World Read Aloud Day, have curated a "100 Best Books to Read Aloud" list to unveil in conjunction with World Read Aloud Day and the launch of the Orajel™ Read2Me Tonight campaign, which encourages families to include reading aloud as part of a child's healthy nighttime routine. The list was created by parents and experts including Pam Allyn, founder of LitWorld. Visit http://www.scholastic.com/read2me/ to access the "100 Best Books to Read Aloud" list along with a brand new downloadable book from Orajel™ called The Three Bees, all about starting great bedtime routines, created with the help of Scholastic. "

• New York City Department of Education Celebrates District-Wide: LitWorld, Scholastic and the New York City Department of Education are collaborating to celebrate World Read Aloud Day in over 200 classrooms. Educators will receive specially made World Read Aloud Day videos featuring Scholastic authors.

• Reading Aloud on Broadway with School of Rock—The Musical: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical is celebrating World Read Aloud Day on February 24 with a special reading event after the 2:00 p.m. matinee in New York City. Cast members will read aloud to children in the audience and give out free books provided by Scholastic. In addition, together with Scholastic and Polo Ralph Lauren Kids, School of Rock—The Musical is supporting World Read Aloud Day by donating 10% of the proceeds from School of Rock—The Musical tickets sold from February 24–March 31 to support LitWorld. Purchasers must use code SCRLN126 when reserving tickets by phone, at the box office or at telechargeoffers.com.

• Skype in the Classroom: through Microsoft's Skype in the Classroom, educators nationwide can schedule a class visit with a Scholastic author via Skype on World Read Aloud Day.

Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld says,
"Literacy is a human right that brings joy, economic independence, gender equity and a pathway out of poverty. On World Read Aloud Day, LitWorld mobilizes people worldwide to raise their voices for children who do not yet have access to the kind of reading community they so hunger for. Bringing every child access to daily read alouds is a research-proven way to change that child's life, immediately and always."

Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic says, "Scholastic proudly supports World Read Aloud Day and the opportunity to spread the message that reading aloud with children from birth through their teen years helps to build language and literacy skills and foster a love of reading. Pam Allyn is a true champion for children's literacy who advocates daily for all children to have access to quality books so they can experience the joy and power of reading."

For more information about LitWorld, visit http://www.litworld.org/.

For more information about Scholastic, visit the media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

REFERENCES:

⁽¹⁾ Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, 2013.

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.

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