Bredesen Celebrates Read Across America Day

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen today joined the Tennessee Education Association, Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation and Tennessee Department of Education Office of Early Learning to celebrate the 14th annual Read Across America Day, a project of the National Education Association.

 

Read Across America Day is the celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Bredesen commemorated the occasion by reading Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could to a pre-K class at Bellshire Elementary Design Center School in Nashville.

 

“Reading to children from the start is one of the best things we can do to prepare them for success in the classroom,” said Bredesen. “I’m pleased to see the work of these partner organizations in focusing Tennesseans on the importance of early childhood education and motivating children to read.”

 

Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries and community centers are bringing together kids, teens and books through events, partnerships and reading resources. The Tennessee Education Association, Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation and Tennessee Department of Education Office of Early Learning all focus on bettering early childhood education in the state.

 

The Tennessee Education Association is the state’s largest professional organization representing more than 55,000 elementary and secondary teachers, school administrators, education support professionals, higher education faculty, and students preparing to become teachers. TEA actively advocates learning without limits and its work centers around educating students, engaging parents and empowering schools.

 

The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation manages the ongoing, statewide implementation of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, assisting all Tennessee preschool children in developing their vocabulary, school readiness, and love of learning and reading by ensuring that free, high quality, age-appropriate books are mailed once a month directly to their homes, from birth until age five. 

 

The Tennessee Department of Education Office of Early Learning was established to administer the Voluntary Pre-K program. Bredesen proposed and the Tennessee General Assembly approved with strong bipartisan support the Voluntary Pre-K for Tennessee Act of 2005 to increase the state’s investment in Early Childhood Education and expand access for students.

 

For more information about Read Across America, visit www.nea.org/readacross. 

 

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