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Jumpstart: Providing experience in an essential field

Bridget Fehily
Connector Contributor

Children transition from learning how to read to reading to learn in the third grade. Most children of under resourced families are falling behind their more affluent peers as early as the age of two and have no hope of catching up. These children will not be on the same level in terms of literacy and language skills. In the third grade children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. If a child was not properly taught how to read they are going to struggle for the rest of their schooling.

An on campus program called Jumpstart is working with kids all over the United States to help preschool children in under resourced neighborhoods to be prepared for kindergarten and to close the achievement gap. The program trains college students to go into classrooms to help children develop their language and literacy skills.

Jumpstart began in 1993 with only fifteen children as well as college students actively working in the classroom known as Corp Members. It has now expanded across fourteen states and has served 76,000 kids. In 2016, Jumpstart still has many aspirations, some being short term while others look farther into the future. “A long term goal would be to see the program continue to grow. Every state has a reason to have us and every kid should have access to Jumpstart” said UMass Lowell Site Manager Cassandra Hopkins. As for a short term goal Hopkins would like to see Jumpstart expand to New Hampshire. She is hoping to see that happen within the next few years.

This program also allows for UMass Lowell students to learn about the community they are living in. Members of Jumpstart connect with not only the teachers and the kids but the kid’s families as well. Students get to see Lowell outside of East, North and South Campuses. “It was an eye opening experience. I did not know how much of an achievement gap there is for children living in under resourced neighborhoods” said UMass Lowell student and Corp Member Sarah Johnson.

Jumpstart works to spread awareness about early childhood education issues. If children are not given the proper education at a young age they will fall behind. The unfortunate reality is that once a child falls behind they are very likely to stay behind. Jumpstart is working towards the day that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Being from an under resourced neighborhood should not define a child’s education. Every child should have an equal opportunity to be successful.

When joining the program corp members commit to serving three hundred hours over the course of the entire school year. Members also have options as to what days and time they would like to go. Jumpstart works with even the busiest of schedules.

The program is not limited to people interested in education. Anyone is welcome as long as they share the common goal to improve children’s language and literacy skills. Johnson said she joined Jumpstart because she “loves children and has worked with them before.” However, it is okay to not have worked with children before. This program is an opportunity to find a new love for children and realize how important Jumpstart is to them.

Many people remember their preschool teacher or the person that first taught them how to read very clearly. Early child educators are a vital part in a student’s education. They set up the foundation for the rest of a child’s educational career. A goal for Jumpstart is that when a child they worked with is a college student they look back and remember their Jumpstart friend who came and read to them twice a week. A Jumpstart Corp Member has the opportunity to teach a child how to improve their language and literacy skills as well as stick with them for years to come.

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