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Jumpstart's Purpose
There is an education crisis in America, and Jumpstart is a national organization that, with support from AmeriCorps, believes early education and attention is a critical part of the solution. Jumpstart helps build the early language and literacy skills of children from under-privileged communities.
Jumpstart recruits and trains achievement-oriented college students who develop year-long mentoring relationships with 3- to 5-year-old children. This past year alone, Jumpstart was working in approximately 57 cities, 61 sites, and 160 preschools across the country.
Jumpstart's Mission
Our mission is to engage people in service to work toward the day every child in
America enters school prepared to succeed.
Through mentoring a child one-on-one, Corps Members (college students) help children develop in the areas of Language and Literacy/Initiative and Social Relations towards the highest level of Jumpstart School Success Outcomes.
Jumpstart - Akron
Jumpstart began at The University of Akron as a special initiative of the College of Education in the fall of 2003 with 20 Corps Members, who are University of Akron undergraduate work-study students from all fields of study. In Year 2, Jumpstart-Akron doubled its size to 45 Corps Members forming 4 teams of 11 college students, each whom served at two different preschool partner sites in the 2004-05 school year (September–May). As a result of maintaining a quality program to the highest Jumpstart standards and having a great amount of both University and community support, Jumpstart-Akron has reached SUPER-SITE status for Year 3, utilizing approximately 80 college students to mentor 70+ low-income children in the Akron community.
The Program Partners selected to be served by Jumpstart-Akron for 2005-2006 are ASCA Five Points Head Start (a 3-year Program Partner), Kids Play-Akron (a 2-year Program Partner), Kandy Kane Children Learning Centers, Inc., and The University of Akron Center for Child Development, all located in Akron and surrounding communities. Jumpstart-Akron will be mentoring 20 children at ASCA Five Points Head Start, 20 children at Kids Play-Akron, 20 total children at 2 sites of Kandy Kane Learning Centers, and 10 children at the UA Center for Child Development, totaling 70+ Akron community low-income children, as well as supporting all of the other children at these preschools through Classroom Assistance Time.
Jumpstart-Akron Corps Members are required to serve 300+ hours during their program year term of service. Through this service, Corps Members implement Jumpstart sessions with children (2 hours, 2 times a week), hold team planning meetings (1 hour, 2 times a week following sessions), serve 4 hours of Classroom Assistance Time weekly at their site in a regular classroom setting, and reflect/journal about their child for 1 hour each week. The Jumpstart-Akron program is held to and has achieved high quality standards as set by the Jumpstart National office.
Jumpstart-Akron also recruits volunteers from the community as a call to serve! These volunteers, like you, are extremely valuable to the success and impact of the Jumpstart program here in Akron, OH.
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We appreciate your
commitment to
support & serve!
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