Pearson Education to Host Early Literacy Awareness Event August 24 To Help Set the World Record for Reading; Beloved Children's Classic The Little Engine That Could Is Centerpiece Of National Early Education Campaign.

INDIANAPOLIS -- In a first-time initiative to bring awareness to the importance of reading to young children, Pearson Education will host an early literacy event on August 24 to benefit Jumpstart's Read for the Record. The Read for the Record national campaign will set the world record for the number of people reading the same book in a single day.

Pearson Education will support this campaign on August 24 by participating in a Read for the Record event at the Indianapolis Zoo's Dolphin Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to take part in the event and show support for Read for the Record.

In addition to having employee volunteers reading the book to children, Pearson Education will also have an ABC Book-making Event which will offer children a chance to personalize an "ABC" Book that they will then get to take home with them.

The Pearson Lebanon Warehouse facility will also be hosting an event on site and employees will be reading to more than 100 children. The Lebanon Mayor James Action will be in attendance.

"Early learning experiences are crucial to the growth and development of young children," said Paul Boger, Vice President and Publisher at Pearson Education. "Jumpstart's Read for the Record provides opportunities for everyone in the United States to support quality early education and to engage in the powerful learning experiences that Jumpstart models in its classrooms every day." Boger encourages readers of all ages to register at www.readfortherecord.org and sign up to read the campaign's official book The Little Engine That Could on August 24.

Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization, is currently working with 10,000 preschool children throughout the United States to help each child build language, literacy and social skills that are critical for their success upon entering kindergarten. The Jumpstart program pairs college students one-to-one with at-risk preschoolers.

"For several years, Pearson, Starbucks and American Eagle Outfitters have been corporate sponsors of Jumpstart," said Boger. "Now, we are collaborating to create a unique charitable partnership, with Penguin Young Readers Group publishing a custom limited edition of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper with new art by Loren Long, Pearson underwriting all costs, and Starbucks retailing the book in their 5,000 U.S. stores." American Eagle Outfitters has produced the official Campaign t-shirt. All three partners are hosting Read for the Record events which will involve thousands of their employees across the U.S.

NBC's TODAY Show host Matt Lauer has written the foreword to the custom limited edition of The Little Engine That Could, and will feature Jumpstart's Read for the Record on TODAY August 24.

"Jumpstart is now working in 64 communities in partnership with 70 colleges and universities across the country," said Rob Zeaske, Jumpstart Vice President for Development. "We are aiming for the day when Jumpstart serves in virtually every city and town, working to help the at-risk preschoolers in each community prepare for success in school."

Jumpstart's Read for the Record builds on the important work Jumpstart is doing in communities across the country and will broaden the organization's impact to thousands more children. Through Jumpstart, children like 4 year-old Antwone McCaskell can make extraordinary strides. Antwone was recommended for the Jumpstart program in 2005 because he lacked the language skills needed to speak in full sentences, and therefore had no confidence in his abilities to participate in class. Just six months after entering Jumpstart's program, Antwone had made so much progress that he was among five children chosen to participate in a taping with Matt Lauer of the TODAY Show, as a way to promote Jumpstart's national awareness campaign. While Antwone's story is powerful, it is not unique. Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign promotes - across the country - the early learning experiences that resulted in Antwone's transformation.

In addition to registering to Read for the Record on August 24, 2006, Jumpstart and Pearson Education recommend the following ways for others to get involved and promote early education:

--Volunteer your time to work with children and teachers at a school, community center, Head Start or child care program;

--Support the creation of high quality preschool experiences in your local community, state, and across the country

--Thank early childhood educators and others who play a vital role in preparing young children to succeed in school and beyond.

--Consider donating a book to one of the many at-risk children who have no books in their homes. You can do this at www.readfortherecord.org

Mrs. Laura Bush is Honorary Chairperson of Jumpstart's Read for the Record, and is supporting the Campaign with public service announcements.

Join Pearson Education on August 24 at the Indianapolis Zoo's Dolphin Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. to support the Read for the Record event. The Indianapolis Zoo is located at 1200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222.

ABOUT JUMPSTART'S READ FOR THE RECORD:

Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign serves to raise awareness about the early education crisis, provide effective tools to address this crisis, and increase support for Jumpstart's important work. Through this Campaign, Jumpstart and its partners - including Starbucks, Pearson, Penguin (USA), American Eagle and the Corporation for National and Community Service - will further their national impact by inviting adults across America to read with young children and set the world record for the number of children reading the same book in a single day with an adult. The record-setting day: August 24, 2006... The record-setting book: The Little Engine That Could. Children and adults will set the record by registering for the event (at www.readfortherecord.org) and reading in their own homes or at one of the many community events held nationwide - in Starbucks stores, shopping malls, public libraries, parks and other venues.

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs 2,500 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance. During the 2005-2006 program year, Jumpstart served 10,000 children in 60 communities across 22 states, in partnership with 225 Head Start and other early learning centers across the country. Jumpstart's national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson, and Starbucks. Jumpstart is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist Award (2004, 2005 and 2006) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy's Directors Award. For more information, visit the Jumpstart Web site at www.jstart.org. For more information about Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign, visit www.readfortherecord.org.

Jumpstart's Read for the Record supporters include Mrs. Laura Bush, Honorary Chairperson, who is also bringing awareness to the Campaign with national public service announcements, and NBC's Matt Lauer, who has written the forward to the custom limited edition of The Little Engine That Could, and will Read for the Record live on the "Today" Show.

About Pearson and Jumpstart

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) is an international media company. Its major business operations are: The Financial Times Group, which has an international network of business and financial newspapers and online services that are read by millions of business executives and investors every day; Pearson Education, the world's leading education business, which helps teachers teach and students learn at every stage and in every part of the world; and Penguin Group, which is one of the pre-eminent names in consumer publishing, with an unrivalled range of fiction and non-fiction, bestsellers, and classic titles.

Jumpstart and the Pearson businesses share a passion for education and inspiring people to reach their full potential. These shared goals and values led Jumpstart and Pearson to create the Pearson Teacher Fellowship in 2001. Each year, the Pearson Teacher Fellowship provides the opportunity for a select group of achievement-oriented college graduates to enter the early education field by becoming preschool teachers in Head Start and other early learning centers serving at-risk children. The Fellowship provides these talented individuals a stipend, intensive training, assistance earning teaching certification, mentoring from a Pearson professional, and additional support and resources during the first two years of their teaching careers. For more information go to http://www.pearson.com.