Jersey City Chosen to Get ‘Mayor’s Book Club’
By Jon Whiten • Feb 2nd, 2010 • Category: Blog, News
Jersey City has been tapped to receive 750 books for children four years old and younger as part of the “Mayor’s Book Clubs: Promoting Early Literacy in New Jersey” project. The project, which began in September 2009 under the direction of the New Jersey League of Municipalities Educational Foundation in partnership with the National League of Cities, is an effort to promote early literacy and encourage families to foster reading and learning.
Jersey City is one of seven New Jersey municipalities chosen to participate in the project; the others are Trenton, Clifton, Neptune, Hightstown, Mount Arlington and Hope.
“It is crucial that we promote reading skills and habits that begin at an early age,” Mayor Jerramiah Healy says in a statement. “In nurturing skills, such as oral language development, knowledge of letters and the ability to recognize words and write them, we are ensuring that we are providing our children with the best resources possible to secure their success.”
The books, including 75 that are bilingual, are being donated by the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey; the city will run the program in partnership with the Jersey City Free Public Library.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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