Pearson Education to Host Early Literacy Awareness Events August 24 at Schools across the Greater Phoenix Area; Beloved Children's Classic The Little Engine That Could Is Centerpiece Of National Early Education Campaign.

PHOENIX -- In first-time initiative to bring awareness to the importance of reading to young children, Pearson Education will host a number of early literacy events on August 24 to benefit Jumpstart's Read for the Record -- http://www.ReadForTheRecord.org/. The Read for the Record national campaign is attempting to set the world record for the number of people reading the same book in a single day.

In the Phoenix area, employees from locally-based companies Pearson Digital Learning and Pearson School Systems will join in the national event by reading to students at six area schools including: Paradise Valley SUN (Serving Unique Needs) Preschool in the Paradise Valley School District; Madison Camelview Elementary in the Madison School District, and Frank Elementary School in the Guadalupe.

"Early learning experiences are crucial to the growth and development of young children," said Melissa Bolger, lead teacher at Paradise Valley SUN (Serving Unique Needs) Preschool. "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."

Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. By pairing thousands of trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of assistance, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together. 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.

"For several years, Pearson, Starbucks and American Eagle Outfitters have been corporate sponsors of Jumpstart," said Bob Roliardi, president of Scottsdale-based Pearson Digital Learning. "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.

In addition to registering to Read for the Record on August 24, 2006, Jumpstart and Pearson 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; and

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

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.