Jumpstart
The Jumpstart Readers Program is a new program at NPU that connects students of any and all majors with preschoolers from low-income families to run a mentoring curriculum. Jumpstart is nationally recognized and has sites at schools such as UC-Berkeley, Tufts and NYU. Visit the national organization website at www.jstart.org.
Focus: Jumpstart focuses on literacy and social skills development for preschool children in underserved communities so that they are more prepared to succeed in school.
Our Role: Readers Program Volunteers will go into a preschool classroom at Hibbard Elementary (2 blocks away) for 2 hours every week to work with three partner children. You’ll spend a lot of time playing...and kids learn while they play. Your job is to guide them so they're being productive- playing and learning as much as they can!
Schedule: You will need to be available for the Readers Program during one of the following days and times:
Tuesday from 9:30am-11:30am or 12:30pm-2:30pm
Wednesday from 9:30am-11:30am or 12:30pm-2:30pm
Thursday from 9:30am-11:30am or 12:30pm-2:30pm
You will also meet twice per week with your team (6 other students) for a half hour (immediately before or after your session). The whole program will have a two hour meeting once per month to share experiences and celebrate the work you are doing. If you like playing with kids (watching them learn & grow), then this is definitely something you'll enjoy doing. You'll have a lot of fun with your team and take away wonderful memories of your partner children (like that time when they wore their pants to school backwards).
Site Rating: Since Jumpstart is an AmeriCorps program, it is a great résumé builder regardless of what your future career will be. This program requires a considerable commitment in terms of training, preparation and consistency, but it is a comparably rewarding and valuable experience.
Site Coordinator: Rachel McHugh