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West Michigan preschoolers set world record title

Posted at 11:59 AM, Oct 30, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-30 18:34:15-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--  How are hundreds of preschoolers setting a world record? Through vocabulary.

Preschoolers from Grand Rapids Public Schools, Ellington Academy and the David D. Hunting YMCA Child Development Center attempted a Guinness World Record title in an effort to show the importance of vocabulary. It happened Thursday morning at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids.

They're taking part in the Grow Up Great initiative hosted by PNC. It's being done in 35 cities in 15 states and Washington D.C.

Officials confirmed shortly after that the students did help set that world record. This was the first year for the attempt.

One of the first indicators of a child’s future success is the number of words he or she hears prior to kindergarten. A landmark study found that an at-risk child hears 30 million fewer words by age four than a child from a more well-to-do household.