Jumpstart

For 20 years, the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County has been our local anchor for Jumpstart's Read for the Record in Palm Beach County and this past year, for the 20th anniversary, they went all out! 🎉

They kicked off the campaign in September by welcoming author Marcus Bridgewater to Palm Beach County for the Mayors' Literacy Initiative Luncheon where he read "See Marcus Grow" with students from their Building Better Readers afterschool program.

Marcus shared a powerful message with local leaders: "Growth doesn't happen by force. Growth happens by fostering the right environment." Westlake Mayor JohnPaul O'Connor heard those words and said they reflect exactly what his community is building.

After the kickoff, the Literacy Coalition ran a 20-week reading celebration across Palm Beach County, all building to Read for the Record Day. Their community showed up in an extraordinary way with over 1200 adults reading to 55,000 children! 👥

That's 20 years of fostering the right environment, and the growth speaks for itself. Thank you, Thank you, Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County for 20 incredible years of celebrating . 🌱

For 11 incredible years, our partners in Broward County have been a cornerstone of Jumpstart's Read for the Record celebrations in Florida. This year, they showed up bigger than ever, and so did See Marcus Grow author Marcus Bridgewater🎒📖

In honor of the 20th anniversary, the Children's Services Council of Broward County distributed over 63,000 books across the county, their biggest commitment yet, putting See Marcus Grow and Read for the Record books directly into the hands of every Pre-K and Kindergarten student in Broward County.

Marcus showed up, in person, to read to the children of Broward County, joining community leaders like CSC President & CEO Cindy Arenberg Seltzer and Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn and volunteer readers. The message was clear: when the whole community rallies around children, everyone thrives.

A heartfelt thank you to CSC Broward, Broward County Public Schools, and the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County. This is what 11 years of commitment looks like, and this is why Broward is our inaugural Full Backpack Award winner. 🎉

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. ❤️