Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Jumpstart Corps members do?
During the school year, Corps members serve 11–15 hours each week participating in twice-weekly, two-hour Jumpstart Sessions. The Jumpstart Session is a structured time set aside at a preschool when teams of Corps members devote one-to-one support in the areas of language, literacy, social and initiative skills to children. Each Corps member spends additional time in his partner child’s classroom, thereby improving the adult-to-child ratio and lending extra support to the teacher and other students.
How do I apply to be a Jumpstart Corps member?
You can apply online at www.jstart.org. Click “get involved”!
Do I have to be an education major to apply for a Jumpstart Corps member position?
No, all majors are welcome. Children need advocates in all fields.
What is Jumpstart’s program model?
Jumpstart offers a unique, results-driven and research-based supplemental program to enhance the educational opportunities for students at Head Start and other early learning programs serving low-income children. Jumpstart’s program model draws on research and best practices in early childhood education, including materials and resources from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and the Stony Brook Reading and Language Project’s dialogic reading method.
What is Jumpstart’s core program goal?
Jumpstart’s early childhood educational goal is to enhance the literacy, language, social and emotional development of young children by capitalizing on positive Corps member-child and Corps member-family interactions. Jumpstart’s approach focuses on three program areas – School Success, Future Teachers and Family Involvement.
What early childhood programs do you work with?
- Bare Essentials Child Care
- Holmeswood Early Education Center
- Metro Early Learning Center
- Operation Breakthrough
- Plaza De Niños
- Thomas/Roque Child and Family Development Center
- Weeks Early Learning Center
Do you have any occasional volunteer opportunities?
Jumpstart Kansas City engages numerous enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers of all ages to assist with our community outreach and educational activities each year. From preparing materials for our classrooms, to participating in special events, to reading with children at local libraries, our volunteers are vital to increasing Jumpstart's impact on the Kansas City Community. If you would like to help out, but are unable to commit to the 300 hour Corps member position, we would be happy to add you to our “occasional volunteer” list. To get involved, e-mail us.
