FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Babette Josephs D-Philadelphia www.babette.org

Josephs participates in Read Across America Day at 2 local schools

PHILADELPHIA, March 9 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., read to Philadelphia school students last week to help celebrate the National Education Association's Read Across America Day, an annual initiative to help promote literacy and reading to children.

Josephs spent the morning reading Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches to kindergartners at Andrew Jackson Elementary School, 1213 S. 12^th St., on March 2, at the invitation of the school's principal, John Krause.

She then visited the Beginnings Learning Center, 620 S. 10^th St., to read The Lorax, also written by Seuss, to the preschoolers there. The preschool's director is Karen Ritchie.

Josephs said that investing in our children now is key to reducing the ever-escalating rate of violence and incarceration.

"It will cost us more in the long run for putting our children behind bars after they grow up if we don't invest in them now by making sure they learn to love reading and learn to love learning. It's an early investment that will pay dividends in the future," Josephs said.

Read Across America is observed March 2, which would have been the 108^th birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss. It is considered one of the largest one-day literacy celebrations in the country. 

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