Jumpstart

Posted by on October 18, 2002

Friends:

We have a goal: Every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.

Then there is the reality: 50% of all poor children start first grade up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills (Brizius & Foster).

The above goal signifies a belief inherent in American culture – everyone deserves an equal chance to be successful. The reality proves that our children, especially those from low-income communities, are not getting that chance. Jumpstart for Young Children, Inc. is a national AmeriCorps program that believes that young people can change this reality, one child at a time.

For the past nine (9) years, Jumpstart has been partnering with universities and colleges nationwide to train and pair Federal Work-Study supported college students with pre-school children struggling in Head Start and other early learning centers. Throughout the school year, college students help preschool children develop the language, literacy, and social relations skills needed to be successful in school. From San Francisco State University, to Florida State University, to Pitzer College and St. Louis University, Jumpstart programs give institutions the opportunity to tailor the program to the needs of the campus while employing a proven program model that has profound effects on the school readiness skills of young children.

In addition, every college and university who launches a Jumpstart program receives:
– $10,000-20,000 Challenge Grant in the first year of operations
– Opportunity to extend and actualize the institution’s committment to the America Reads Challenge to local pre-school populations, thereby providing a continuum of service to young children from 3-9 years old.
– Work Study funds paid to students in the Jumpstart program can count towards the Department of Education’s community service requirements, which is currently set at 7% and is expected to increase in the coming months.
– Ongoing support and training from Jumpstart’s regional and national offices
– Ability to assess and publicize the positive effects of the Jumpstart program to key community and campus stakeholders
– Ability to form effective service-learning partnerships that help to deepen students’ academic and Jumpstart experiences

The time to apply to Jumpstart is NOW! Jumpstart is currently coordinating a national RFP process – please visit us on the web at http://www.jstart.org for more information including the Jumpstart Higher Education Partner Application. This document offers a detailed overview of Jumpstart, the campus-based program model, and the application process. In addition, we will be hosting web-based conference calls in late October to allow participants to learn more about how to Jumpstart your campus!

I hope that you will be able to join us in the effort to change the world, one child at a time. Please contact me with any questions or for more information.

Sincerely,

Erin J. Cox
Director of New Site Development
Jumpstart National
Phone: 617 542 5867 x82
Fax: 617 542 2557
Please take a moment to check out our website: http://www.jstart.org

Jumpstart builds School Success, Family Involvement, and Future Teachers one child at a time.