Since 1946, Highlights for Children has left an indelible imprint on the hearts and minds of tens of millions of children. It has improved reading skills, helped define and develop values like honesty, thoughtfulness and tolerance, all while entertaining and enlightening. Highlights for Children represents a remarkable story in the history of American publishing.
Highlights for Children began with a vision—the vision of what a magazine for children should be. The founders, Dr. Garry Cleveland Myers and his wife Caroline Clark Myers, had a lifetime of experience teaching children and adults to read and write. Prior to launching Highlights, they worked with another children's magazine, Children's Activities, and during those 12 years they saw their editorial standards compromised by business decisions. With an understanding for the value of a non-compromised publication, they decided to start their own magazine and take responsibility for both the content and the commerce.
Working in a two-room office over a car dealership in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, the Myerses created the first issue of the magazine they had long imagined. In June of 1946, Mrs. Myers drove to Columbus, Ohio, to deliver the artwork to a printer and with a first issue print order of twenty thousand copies, started the realization of a long-term dream.
In the early years of Highlights, success was hard earned with a combination of a quality product and an inventive sales force. Originally sold door-to-door, the magazine eventually became a staple of many doctors and dentists' offices.
From a visual standpoint, the Highlights that rolls off the presses today may bear little resemblance to that first issue of June 1946; however, upon closer inspection, the features, content and philosophy reflect a remarkable level of consistency. Continuing features like "Hidden Pictures®," "Goofus and Gallant®" and "The Timbertoes" were beloved by the parents, and perhaps even the grandparents, of today's readers.
From the very first issue to the most recent, every issue of Highlights has been written, illustrated and edited with a high expectation of its readers. The motto on the cover of issue number one—"Fun with a Purpose"—still maintains its place on the cover today, as well as in the philosophy of the editorial process. The lively variety of features gives children the opportunity to have fun, without being conscious they're also learning. Children from prereader to preteen find challenge and success in every issue.
Every month Highlights receives about 3,000 letters from children around the United States and the world. Many of the letters contain stories, poems and artwork for the "Our Own Pages" feature that appears in every issue. Other letters describe a question the child may be having regarding school, home or friends. As with the letters received in the early years, every letter receives a thoughtful and individual response.
Following in the footsteps of the founders is a family tradition at Highlights for Children. Several of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Garry and Caroline Myers have taken active roles in the company throughout the years. In 1994, the Myers Family Council was formed to reinforce the commitment of the family to the founders' original philosophy toward providing children with an encouraging and challenging source for fun educational opportunities.
In recent years, Highlights for Children's family of companies has grown to encompass eight individual companies with a similar interest, and today Highlights enjoys the largest paid circulation of any children's general-interest monthly periodical. At the core of the business, however, remains the same unique responsibility to its readership and the belief in the potential for goodness and learning in all children begun in 1946.
