Jumpstart’s premiere national campaign Read for the Record®, presented in partnership with FasTracKids, is one day of the year when millions of individuals across the globe come together to read the same book on the same day.
On October 22, 2015, FasTracKids, Jumpstart and other early education supporters had over 2.2 million participants read Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, creating the world’s largest shared reading experience! Not Norman is the tale of Norman the goldfish, who is a little boy’s pet under dubious circumstances. The little boy has to decide if he wants to keep Norman by using critical thinking, which is an important early learning skill that is taught in every FasTracKids classroom.
Over 16,000 participants from FasTracKids centers and schools in 16 different countries celebrated literacy and supported efforts to promote early childhood education. The characters from Not Norman came to life at FasTracKids events that were held in centers, community theaters and schools. Theatrical performances, fish crafts, guest readers and other activities helped make this event one of our best yet!