In The Know

First Published: Summer 2007

"Newspapers Give People Knowledge and Guidance” – that’s the theme 12-year-old Jonathan Johannemann of Kinnelon, N.J., used in his winning design for the cover of the 2007 NAA Foundation Literacy Day Tabloid.

The young artist makes an excellent point, notes Jim Abbott, vice president of the NAA Foundation.

“In one package, newspapers offer everything people need to become informed, educated citizens of the world,” he says. “They truly are the textbook for life. Virtually any subject can be connected to and taught using the newspaper. It’s the educational tool for students of all ages.”

With that in mind, the NAA Foundation engaged the National Center for Family Literacy to contribute the content for the 20-page special section and the nine in-paper features that supplement it. Stories and activities in the Literacy Day Tabloid are designed to be enjoyed by the whole family.

“Illiteracy … is a multigenerational challenge that needs a multigenerational solution,” Sharon Darling of the National Center for Family Literacy writes in the introduction to the tabloid. “Addressing the literacy needs of the entire family is a powerful community strategy for raising educational levels, improving workforce skills and breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

“Through family literacy, parents and children can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones,” Darling adds.

The NAA Foundation produces the Literacy Day Tabloid annually in conjunction with International Literacy Day on Sept. 8. However, the content can be used throughout the year as space and resources permit. All materials are available free of charge courtesy of a grant from Idearc Media (www.idearc.com), publisher of the Verizon® Yellow Pages and home of Superpages.com®.

“Idearc Media is creating communities of readers where our employees and customers live and work,” says Janet Stevens, Idearc’s senior vice president/ public relations. “We do this by supporting projects such as the Literacy Day Tabloid, which expand people’s thinking about the importance of literacy and how reading contributes to their community’s success.”

To order the 2007 Literacy Day Tabloid, go to www.naafoundation.org.