6,535 viewers watched the reading of “Curious Blueberry the Carousel Horse”

The Goddard School^®, the nation’s leading premium early childhood education provider, set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title today for most viewers for a reading live stream on YouTube. 6,535 viewers watched Steve Burns, the original host of the beloved children’s program “Blue’s Clues” and host of the upcoming “Alive” podcast, read “Curious Blueberry the Carousel Horse” live on The Goddard School’s YouTube channel. The reading took place at The Goddard School of Manhattan (StuyTown) in front of the school’s students and teachers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250903177892/en/

Steve Burns, the original host of "Blue's Clues" reads to The Goddard School of Manhattan's (StuyTown) teachers and students.

The record-breaking 6,535 viewers represent the number of devices that concurrently watched the live stream. In total, in addition to the general public, tens of thousands of students and teachers from the more than 650 Goddard Schools nationwide watched live, as thousands of classrooms tuned in from a single device in each room.

“Goddard Schools nurture the extraordinary capabilities of nearly 100,000 children every day, and now our faculty and students have collectively contributed to an extraordinary accomplishment: a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title,” said Darin Harris, chief executive officer, Goddard Systems, LLC, manager of The Goddard School franchise system. “I know everyone across our system will always remember today and the power of working together to achieve something great. This life lesson will serve Goddard School students well throughout not just their academic careers, but also their personal and professional lives.”

Beyond setting a world record, this event underscores the importance of early literacy and its role in developing foundational cognitive, social, emotional and academic skills. Timed to coincide with the start of National Literacy Month and the new school year, the event inspired celebrations at Goddard Schools nationwide, where many hosted watch parties that built excitement and drove engagement within their school and local communities.

Written by award-winning author Steve Metzger and illustrated by Bruno Robert on behalf of The Goddard School, “Curious Blueberry the Carousel Horse” follows the journey of Blueberry and her colorful carousel animal friends who learn to find joy through curiosity and questions. The book includes open-ended questions throughout the story, creating an engaging experience for each child.

“Curious Blueberry the Carousel Horse” was designed to complement The Goddard School’s exclusive inquiry-based education program, Wonder of Learning^®, and features actionable tips for families to practice inquiry-based learning at home and throughout their daily lives. Inquiry-based learning is a teaching and learning approach that focuses on the natural curiosity and sense of wonder children bring into the classroom. With teacher-guided inquiry topics, children learn about themselves and the world around them by exploring their interests, investigating concepts and asking questions. Wonder of Learning builds age-appropriate academic, social and emotional skills through curiosity, collaboration, investigation and discovery.

“Curious Blueberry the Carousel Horse” is available at booksellers nationwide, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and GardenLearningStore.com. For more information about early literacy and inquiry-based learning, as well as a wealth of actionable parenting insights and guidance—including the Parenting with Goddard blog and webinar series—visit the Parent Resource Center on GoddardSchool.com.

ABOUT GODDARD SYSTEMS, LLC

Established in 1988, Goddard Systems, LLC, is the manager of The Goddard School^® franchise system. The Goddard School is the acknowledged leader in the premium early childcare and education market segment. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Goddard Systems has been consistently named one of the leading franchises in the United States by Entrepreneur (#55 in the 2025 Franchise 500) and one of the top franchise systems in worldwide sales by Franchise Times (#63 in the 2024 Top 400). Additionally, Goddard Systems is included in Franchise Business Review’s Top 200 Franchises, a recognition of the best franchise opportunities based solely on ratings and reviews provided directly by franchise owners. Goddard Systems currently licenses more than 650 Goddard School franchises that serve almost 100,000 students in 37 states and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit GoddardSchoolFranchise.com.

ABOUT THE GODDARD SCHOOL^®

Learning for fun. Learning for life.^®

For 37 years, The Goddard School has nurtured the extraordinary in every child, providing a warm, caring and safe environment that supports their individual social, emotional and academic development, appreciates their unique talents and personalities, and fosters skills they need for long-term success in school and in life.

The Goddard School’s exclusive inquiry-based education program, Wonder of Learning^®, embraces how children learn best—through their innate curiosity—because research confirms that when wonder leads, learning follows. Wonder of Learning is backed by expert knowledge, data-driven insight and unwavering compassion for growing minds, encouraging children to explore their curiosities and interests as they discover the joy—and wonder—of learning.

The Goddard School serves almost 100,000 students from six weeks to six years old in 37 states and Washington, D.C. To learn more about The Goddard School, please visit GoddardSchool.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250903177892/en/