Read for the Record

teacher

The United Way of Southwest Minnesota is pleased to announce the return of Jumpstart's Read for the Record on February 26, 2026.

 

Sponsored by

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What is Read for the Record?

Jumpstart Read for the RecordJumpstart's Read for the Record is an annual reading celebration that highlights the need for quality early education in America by mobilizing adults and children to set a record for the largest shared reading experience. Over the course of 20 years, more than 30 million people have participated in Read for the Record. Locally, in the past 14 years, 1,100 volunteers have read to more than 26,000 children as part of the program. 

UWSWMN coordinates this event in elementary schools (kindergarten to 2nd grade), preschools, childcare centers, and libraries in the counties of Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Yellow Medicine, and portions of Cottonwood, Lac qui Parle, Nobles, and Redwood. All materials and books are provided by UWSWMN and donated to the sites following the reading. 

Jumpstart Selects See Marcus Grow for Read for the Record

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See Marcus Grow by Marcus Bridgewater

From Marcus Bridgewater comes an intergenerational story that celebrates nature, encourages curiosity, and respects all living things. We invite you to join Marcus and his grandmother in her garden where he learns about the parallels between plant care and child development, as she shares how both children and seedlings need “water and air and sunshine. And space to grow.”

 

The stories I read as a child planted the seeds for the forest of my life today, and I’m thankful to share the joy of reading with the younger generation as an author.

Marcus Bridgewater, Author

Volunteers Needed

Check back in Mid-October for volunteer and sign-up information. We will need approximately 200 volunteers to read at elementary schools (kindergarten to 2nd grade), preschools, childcare centers, and libraries in our service area. This is one of our most popular volunteer opportunities and you don't want to miss out on all the fun!

20th Anniversary of Read for the Record

This year Jumpstart’s Read for the Record will transform into an extended 20-week celebration, inviting educators, families, children, authors and more to engage with its rich literary history. Be sure to bookmark this page for weekly activity guides and learning resources provided by Jumpstart that are inspired by books from past campaigns starting the week of October 13th. You can choose which activities to incorporate in your lesson plans or use at your leisure at home.