Parents, educators promote day for reading
Parents, teachers and other adults spent time reading to kids around Minnesota Thursday as educators marked national "Read for the Record" day.
The goal was to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the largest number of people reading the same book in one day.
Todd Otis is president of the school readiness support group "Ready 4 K." He said the real purpose of the event is to celebrate the power of books and early exposure to reading and language.
Otis said that gives kids building blocks to be readers themselves.
"We just really want to encourage parents and other people to spend time with kids with books reading to them, because it really helps their ability to get the early literacy skills they'll need for later school success," Otis said.
Otis was joined by Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren Thursday in reading to young children at the New Horizon Academy in St. Paul.
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