Jack and Jill of America, a national organization of mothers focused on helping African-American youth reach their full potential, is taking its Bedtime Stories program to the next level with a call to action prompted by the children’s book No Cell Phone Day, written by Delfeayo Marsalis and illustrated by Reginald William Butler.
“We are excited to introduce children to this award winning book through our national Bedtime Stories webinar series,” said Jack and Jill of America National President Tammy King. “Not only is this a great story to support early childhood literacy, but it’s a wonderful call to action for parents to spend time with their children reading and experiencing life.”
Bedtime Stories is an early childhood literacy initiative that provides a unique resource of children’s books that entertain, promote self-esteem, support language development and simply make reading fun for pre-k through 3rd grade children. The program also taps into the organization’s focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math by inviting children from across the nation to participate in a live webinar with the author of a children’s book. The author reads a story while children are logged in from the comfort of their homes or wherever they may be.
To kick off 2015, the organization presented two webinars with the author reading No Cell Phone Day to children across the nation. In addition, the organization encouraged parents and other adults to put their cell phones aside, Jan. 25, to dedicate focused time with children.
According to a Highlights magazine survey of 1,500 children, the use of cell phones is the number one source of parental distraction. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed believe parents are too distracted to listen.
“As busy moms and dads, we often are as tied to our cell phones as our children are,” King added. “This wonderfully written story reminds us of the value of spending quality time with our children. We encourage parents to take the day to experience what it’s like to really enjoy each other without the interruption of texting, tweeting and cell phone conversations that take you away from being fully present with loved ones.”
For more information, visit http://jackandjillinc.org .