Scholastic recognized for its “Leer da poder” literacy awareness campaign in San Antonio

New York – Sept. 21, 2009 – The San Antonio Commission on Literacy has announced it is honoring Scholastic Inc., the global children’s publishing, education and media company, with the 2009 Literacy Organization of the Year Award. The award will be presented at the Fifth Annual "Cambiando Vidas, Changing Pathways" silent auction and luncheon, benefiting the Joseph Roy Kaiser GED Financial Assistance Fund.

This year, Scholastic has partnered with the San Antonio Public Library, the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, other community groups and local leaders to establish the literacy campaign “Leer da poder” (Reading Empowers). The campaign is a multi-faceted bilingual initiative in San Antonio that provides resources, special messaging, programs and products, illustrating the importance of families, teachers and librarians working together to foster a child’s love for reading.

“We are proud to announce the recognition of Scholastic, as the 2009 Literacy Volunteer Organization of the Year. Scholastic has been incredibly generous in their contributions to the San Antonio community, including financial support, the talents and time of its staff, the loan of equipment, and lots and lots of books to distribute to children,” said John Braxton, Chair, San Antonio Commission on Literacy. “Scholastic is continually brainstorming ways to reach deeper into the community – especially our childcare centers, schools and libraries – to instill a love of all things literary."

A major component of “Leer da poder” is Lee y serás® (Read and You Will Be), a program providing tips, curriculum and resources to caregivers, community groups and parents at no cost. Through the program, Scholastic is donating 30,000 books to children in the community this year. The Scholastic Lee y serás interactive reading caravan has been appearing throughout San Antonio offering resources, early childhood activities and literacy games to help prepare children for school. More than 10,000 residents have participated in the caravan’s events, and attendance is expected to grow as the caravan reaches even more communities this fall.

“We’re extremely honored to partner with the San Antonio community to support a literacy-rich environment where every child has an opportunity to grow, live and learn. Our campaign builds on the work of wonderful existing community initiatives championed by many local organizations,” says Rebeca Barrera, Literacy Ambassador, Scholastic. “The changes we’ve seen this past year in San Antonio demonstrate the value of an engaged community, and the importance of making reading accessible and encouraging families to turn everyday moments into learning moments.”

“Leer da poder” has also championed the “Be One in a Million” campaign to register one million residents for library cards, headed by San Antonio City Council Representatives Justin Rodriguez and John Clamp. Since Scholastic joined the library card campaign this year, nearly 78,000 residents have registered for a card, helping to bring the library closer to its goal of one million cardholders.

To provide families with the resources to create literacy-rich environments and to get kids excited about books, Scholastic involved multiple divisions of the company, from Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs to the vast resources of the Scholastic Classroom & Library Group, Scholastic Media, Scholastic Education and Community Affairs. Bromley Communications, a national leader in Hispanic marketing headquartered in San Antonio, joined our team to help create the successful “Leer da poder” campaign that reached millions of San Antonio residents with its messages promoting literacy.

About San Antonio Commission on Literacy
In August 1987, the San Antonio City Council established the San Antonio Commission on Literacy to conduct an in-depth review of the adult illiteracy in our community and to make recommendations to City Council. This action, in essence, announced that the City of San Antonio was committed on the long term to help solve this problem and, at the same time, actively assist in helping prepare a workforce to meet the needs of businesses that wish to relocate to San Antonio.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology and children’s media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company’s Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.

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Contact:
Teresa Vasquez-Romero: 210-207-8761, City of San Antonio

Ivy Li, Scholastic: 212.343.6402, ili@scholastic.com