Cozy Corner is the Latest Addition to Scholastic Early Childhood Education Programs and Services Eligible for Economic Stimulus Funding

NEW YORK (May 6, 2009) – Storytime just got even better for kids everywhere.

Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced the creation of Cozy Corner™, an innovative early language and literacy program for libraries, schools and early childhood centers. Created by early childhood development experts, including public librarians, Cozy Corner is designed to enhance the Storytime experience for young learners, ages 2-to-4, by building essential early language and literacy skills and encouraging social and emotional development.

Cozy Corner includes:

• 10 Storytime theme packs, which contain a big book, read-aloud books, music, character cards and detailed Storytime plans to help kids connect with the books, and support topic-rich conversations.
• A Program Guide with articles from experts, suggestions for extending learning beyond Storytime, and resources for increasing family engagement that are available in English and Spanish.
• A nursery rhyme flip chart to use before, during, or after Storytime.

Storytime is an important component of every child’s literacy development, and is a place where parents, educators and librarians can share with them the wonder of books. Cozy Corner was developed in consultation with teachers and librarians as well as academic researchers in order to help make reading and the culture around books a priority in the lives of very young children and their families.

“In our years of working with the community of educators and librarians, Scholastic heard their common plea for teaching and learning supports that fit into a culture of sharing stories and talking with children,” said Akimi Gibson, VP and Publisher of the Scholastic Classroom and Library Group. “Cozy Corner is our answer to that need. We’re excited to provide this program so librarians and educators can more effectively give kids the literacy and social and emotional skills they need to learn and grow.”

Cozy Corner is the latest addition to the suite of Scholastic early childhood education programs designed to help children become lifelong learners and readers. Scholastic early childhood programs are eligible for funding under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They include:

• Digital resources, such as WiggleWorks®, an early reading program for classrooms that uses interactive e-books and activities to motivate young readers, and BookFlix®, a Web-based program that pairs fictional, video storybooks with nonfiction e-books to help kids build a love of reading.

• Print resources, including Classroom Magazines, Classroom Books collections, and books from Scholastic trade publishing.

• Resources and training programs for teachers, school leaders and early childcare providers, including Scholastic RED’s online professional development courses and Scholastic Early Literacy Seminars for Pre-K educators.

Scholastic has also created Read and Rise® and Lee y Seras®, two community-based programs designed to help families build literacy-rich environments for their kids.

To learn more about Cozy Corner, or to download images and video sound bites from Akimi Gibson, visit the Scholastic Media Room. For more information on The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act visit the Scholastic ARRA information portal.

Contact
Tyler Reed, Scholastic, 212-343-6427 or treed@scholastic.com