Tuesday, children across the U.S. were reading as part of a worldwide effort to jumpstart literacy.

At Washington Pediatrics, Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children’s Kris Bowen was the storyteller of the day, as she read “Bunny Cakes” by Rosemary Wells to children waiting for their Well-Child checkups. Throughout the day, Bowen read the story to 14 children, some of whom could read on their own, others of whom hadn’t hit the reading stage yet. They hung on every word, watching the illustrated world of Ruby and Max as the bunny siblings make a cake for Grandma’s birthday. Bowen’s, and her little listeners’, goal is part of a Jumpstart program highlighting the importance of getting young ones acclimated to reading, through the world’s largest shared reading experience. Millions of adults and children take part every year: on a given day, the same book is read to children across the globe.

“Research shows that 90 percent of brain development occurs in the first five years of life, so we’re trying to share with parents the importance of early literacy and how that affects lifelong learning,” Bowen said.

That’s not only through participation in single events like Read for the Record, but through another ongoing program that pulls together the community: Reach Out and Read.

Reach Out and Read — another advocate for childhood literacy — has been in place for several years at Washington Pediatrics, but it’s only through the recent partnership between the medical office and Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children that the program has truly taken off. Through Race to the Top federal grant money, BHCP has made the Wellness waiting room at Washington Pediatrics into a children’s reading room, complete with bookshelves stacked with age-appropriate reading and a miniature table and chairs. Stencils of Dr. Seuss characters decorate the walls and next on the list of things to do is a little readers’ community bulletin board, highlighting reading events throughout the county, Bowen said.

According to Sara Cutler, a Washington Pediatrics nurse and coordinator for Reach Out and Read, all efforts are aimed at giving young children, and their parents, the opportunity to learn — for parents, that often means learning how to be a child’s first teacher. With every Well-Child checkup a child between the ages of six months old and 5 attends, he or she is given an age-appropriate book to take home with them.

“When they receive the book, the healthcare provider models reading with the parents and gives tips on reading with child,” Bowen said.

The program has been so successful over the last year’s partnership that there’s a surplus of books, and Cutler has expanded the book giveaway age to include children ages six through 10.

“We just completely turned the program around in a year’s time,” Cutler said. “The working relationship we have now with Partnership for the Children has been amazing. They are a real asset to us.”

Bowen is also on a drive to get more parents involved by reaching out through social media.

“We’re promoting the first 2,000 days — 2,000 from birth to kindergarten — so we’re trying to get 2,000 likes on Facebook,” Bowen said.

Those who “like” Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children on Facebook will receive parenting tips and information about programs and services available at BHPC.