Jumpstart Kids

Today is 9/25, or "9 to 5," and we're celebrating Dolly Parton Day alongside communities across the country. Dolly spent decades putting books directly into children's hands through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, built on a simple belief that every child deserves a home filled with stories.

At Jumpstart Kids, we know, as Dolly did, that introducing books to children at a young age, when their brains are growing fastest, is the best way to build strong readers. That belief drives our global literacy campaign, Read for the Record.

Celebrate Dolly's legacy with us by giving back to children and families in your own community. Read to a child. Donate a book. Support a local literacy effort. Learning takes root when caring individuals show up for kids early, and that work can happen in classrooms, living rooms, and libraries everywhere.

We're thrilled to welcome Joe Constantino to Jumpstart Kids' National Board of Directors!

Joe is Head of Design for the Global Private Bank at JPMorganChase, where his work sits at the intersection of AI, product design, and enterprise technology, built over 13 years with the firm. He holds an MBA in Financial and Strategic Management and a B.S. in Political Science from Pace University.

Joe's eye for design and technology will help us find new ways to bring early learning experiences to preschoolers across the country.

Our fall reading list is here 📚🍂 15 picture books that celebrate culture, family, and connection, each paired with a simple activity to turn story time into real conversation.

Reading aloud is the heart of what we do. It builds vocabulary, sparks imagination, and creates a few minutes of connection in the middle of a busy day.

Head to our blog for all 15 books, a free activity guide, and resources for educators and parents: https://bit.ly/3UQAYbT

Please join us in welcoming Andrew Davis to Jumpstart Kids' National Board of Directors!

Andrew is Chief Operating Officer of the Council for Professional Recognition, the national administrator of the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, and brings more than 20 years of early childhood leadership to our board.

Andrew led development of the State ECE Workforce Framework, a model that helps state leaders strengthen the policies and pathways supporting the early childhood workforce, and has presented to national and international audiences, including a 2026 plenary on professional identity at the World Forum on Early Care and Education. He holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore/Towson University and a BA in Communications from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

Andrew's experience strengthening the systems behind the early childhood workforce will help us better equip our Jumpstarters as they provide early learning support to preschoolers.

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Matt Doherty, the newest member of Jumpstart Kids' National Board of Directors!

Matt is head of the Alternative Investment Platform for Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs, where he leads the firm's Alternative Capital Markets, Private Company Investments, and Secondary Advisory businesses. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2011, was named managing director in 2019 and partner in 2024, and earned his BA from Princeton University and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Matt's financial expertise will help power Jumpstart Kids' growth for years to come, bringing early learning experiences to even more preschoolers.

International Literacy Day is a reminder of something simple: the joyful and transformative act of reading aloud with a child is powerful. It's how vocabulary grows, how questions turn into conversations, and how a love of books takes root. This is the idea at the heart of Jumpstart Kids: Read for the Record celebration, which connects families, classrooms, and communities across the world to celebrate and uplift the critical importance of early literacy and put high-quality books in the hands of children everywhere.

We are thrilled that Brave Like a Lion, written by Megan Piphus, and illustrated by Nina Mata Illustrations, is the official book selection for this year's . We can't wait to read together as a community on February 25, 2027. Visit https://bit.ly/4A7sv4i to learn more and pre-order your Jumpstart Kids limited-edition books today.

Dolly Parton believed that every child deserves books of their own, from birth. Through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, she made that belief real for families in homes across the country and around the world, mailing free books to children month after month, year after year.

That conviction is one we share. Our work rests on a simple idea backed by research: a caring individual can change the course of a child's early learning. For generations of young readers, Dolly was that caring individual, opening the door to literacy and a lifelong love of books.

We are saddened by her passing, and we are grateful for everything she gave to children and to early education. Her legacy lives on in every child who turns a first page.

You could be the first to know. 📚🎉

We're about to reveal the 2027 Jumpstart Kids: Read for the Record® book selection, and newsletter subscribers find out before the public.

Want in? Sign up today and the official book announcement lands in your inbox first: https://bit.ly/3UzyMVS

The right words at the right moment open doors.

We need caring, committed volunteers to join us as Jumpstarters this fall, working directly with preschoolers in local classrooms to build the literacy, language, and life skills kids need to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

Jumpstarters join a small team, follow our research-based curriculum, and become the steady, caring presence a child can count on every week. One conversation at a time, you help build what's ahead.

Registration is open in Massachusetts, New York, and Southern California. College students: many roles qualify for Federal Work Study.

Register by 9/18: https://bit.ly/4wKTu2m