Imagine That

            I always liked to think that, as a kid, I had an impeccable imagination. I mean, in those days I could take any golf club lying around the house and magically turn it into a scepter, a lightsaber, even an outrageously long Harry Potter wand if need be.  So proud was I of my imagination skills that, if you asked me a month ago just how good they were, you’d never hear the end of it. To me, they were unmatched by anyone…or so I thought. Indeed, that was before I met some of these Jumpstart kids. These Jumpstart kids, man, they are just something else.

            Back in the day when I used to make up stories of me riding unicorns or testing new rollercoasters, I always had props. For example, when my best friend and I were riding our “unicorns” in the white, puffy clouds, we were really just riding our bikes in the cul-de-sac on clouds we drew with sidewalk chalk. And when I said I used to test out the latest and greatest amusement park rollercoasters, that merely meant swinging on the playground swings.

            Now, as I said before, acting on all these random, imaginative impulses always involved making use of a tangible object, or else it wasn’t fun. What I’ve noticed about some of our Jumpstart kids, however, is that they can get by without any props. Literally, all they need is their imaginations.

            Just two weeks ago when we were implementing our last Jumpstart session for the semester, I started to panic. I was in the Dramatic Play center with five kids and quickly realized that there weren’t enough cut-outs of Betty Crocker cakes to hand out to each of the kids. I anticipated the worst. In seconds one of them was bound to have a temper tantrum, an epic meltdown. After all, what kid wouldn’t be mad if everyone else had a Chocolate Chip Betty Crocker Cake Mix cutout to call his own but himself? Needless to say, this was bad. Real bad.

            Frantically, I begin searching for some sort of tangible substitute that could cork the inevitable tears from coming. All of a sudden, I feel a small tug on my left leg.

            “Ms. Leila, what are you looking for?” a small boy said.

            “Hey there! How are you? Oh, oh nothing, I’m just looking for another Cake Mix to play with.”

            Quickly I turn around and continue the hunt, only to be met with yet another tug.

Uh-oh. Here is comes… I thought to myself.

Slowly, I spin myself around and stoop down to the boy’s level.

            “Yes?”

            “Here Ms. Leila. I have another one.”

            I look at him squarely. He raises his empty, cupped hands. For a second I just stare at him, utterly confused. At first I thought it was a joke, a classic “I-fooled-you” witticism. But the expression on his face didn’t change. He blinked twice, a little puzzled himself.

            “It’s vanilla,” he said proudly, pushing his hands closer to my face. “Is that O.K.?”

            I smile.

            “Vanilla? Why, that sounds delicious.”

~Leila Nasser
Corps member
Team Joy 

Why It’s Not the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Last Friday, I wrapped up my first semester of college. After taking the last of my finals and returning all my rentals, I quickly packed my bags and headed home. And I have to say, since being home in suburban Virginia, life has been very relaxing. I wake up when I want, watch TV non-stop and go out for jogs at my own convenience. One would think that this is the true essence of  “relaxation”, but I have to be honest with you: I’m only six days in but, already, I’m tired of relaxing.

            It used to be that on every Monday and Thursday morning I would wake up at 7:00 am to the sound of my iPhone’s Marimba ringtone, reminding me that today I had Jumpstart obligations. Quickly then, I would scurry out of bed, take a five-minute shower, brush my hair, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and reread the day’s Session Plan. By 8:10 I would be ready to go, looking at myself one last time in the vanity mirror with my red Jumpstart shirt on, and grinning from ear to ear. After heaving my backpack full of prepped materials over one shoulder (as Santa would do with his bag of goodies) I would step out of my room, quietly shutting the door behind me so as not to disturb my roommate who miraculously manages to sleep through the entire circus. (I guess she must have gotten used to it).

            But that was then, back in September, October, November. Now, it’s the middle of December. And although the holidays are just around the corner, I can’t help but feel a little unenthused. These days, I find myself bored out of my mind. I’ve come to realize the Jumpstart really made me feel like I was doing something productive, and that I was really making a difference.

My absolute favorite part about being a Corps Member is when we first walk into the classroom with towers of prepped materials for the kids to play with. Once we cross the door’s threshold you instantly feel a wave of energy, of excitement, of familiarity. You can hear small voices whisper under their breaths,

“Hey look, it’s Jumpstart!”

“Jumpstart’s here!”

“Yay Jumpstart!”

            It makes me feel so good to see them again. I love how eager they are to play the alphabet matching game with me or sit next to me when we sing “Down by the Bay” during Circle Time. I feel needed in the classroom. Really, I do.

            It’s a shame the semester ended so quickly. I’m already starting to reference those Jumpstart days as if they were ancient history. I guess I’ll just have to start sing Christmas carols on loop until the time comes when I can sing in unison with my little preschoolers again.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” 

 

Yeah, whatever Andy.

~Leila Nasser
Corps member
Team Joy

Reading for Enjoyment

            Kids have always been an inspiration to me. The way they are so incredibly loving and careless makes me wonder what happened to the rest of us. I’ve always wanted to give back to children who make life worth living for those of us who have forgotten the true meaning of life and happiness. Their outlook on life is so much better than that of adults. They love each other, and when they fight, they make up a minute later. That is truly inspiring.

            A little boy in my reading group was obviously having a bad day. Whether it was the rain or that he couldn’t play with the toy he wanted to, is still a mystery. Nonetheless, he was extremely upset. It’s difficult to take a moment and single out a child during reading, because the other kids should not have to stop reading the book or paying attention simply because one child cannot do the same. I had two choices in this situation. I could ask my team leader to kindly walk the boy over to the teacher and have her handle the situation, or I could foster my growing relationship with this boy by somehow redirecting his emotions onto the story we were reading. I was still very new at this at the time, and was extremely nervous about how to handle this.

            The book we were reading was at the point where the baby girl was extremely sad because she missed her brother so much (Oonga Boonga). The little girl’s family was doing everything in their power to get the girl to stop crying. However, little did they know that all the little girl needed was her big brother to return. This was the point where I had to somehow integrate the emotions of this boy in my reading group into the story. Right when I was about to ask him what makes him so sad, I thought to myself that another approach may be more prudent in this situation. So instead of asking the boy in my reading group what makes him cry, I turned to the page where the big brother came back and the baby girl stopped crying. I asked him to explain what he saw in the picture, and then to tell me what makes him smile like the little girl was in the story on that page. Then I went around the circle and asked the other children the same question. Soon every single one of the children was smiling up at me. While this was already magical enough as it is, the thing that will make me retain this memory forever is what the little boy, who had long stopped crying did. It was amazing that a four-year-old could completely understand the impact the book had on him, and that he wanted to share it with me when he asked me what makes me most happy. My response: “Right now, reading this book with all of you.”  
~Brianna Seiler
Corps member
Team Joy

A learning experience

Just as educating children or operating a school requires the partnership of many individuals and organizations, the success of Jumpstart is also dependent on the work of communities. These communities not only enable session planning and implementation to be more successful, but they also allow our time in the classroom to be more individualized for every student. This past semester, our team discovered that a focus on collaboration and partnership made sessions more engaging, materials of higher-quality, and a greater feeling of confidence in our work. And, from this growth we began to value the craziness and excitement embodied in every session, students’ smiles that exemplify hope and curiosity, and moments that illustrate students’ social and academic growth.

Jumpstart’s value on teamwork and collaboration is evident in its design of teams of corps members implementing session rather than a single educator for every classroom. From this, every session plan activity allows children to connect with corps members on a more individual level in order to better meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of every student. Similarly, a lower ratio also enables us to better understand our children and get to know them as students and individuals.

Additionally, by working as a team, we are able to use our past experiences and training to create solutions that address instructional and classroom management challenges. As evident during our team planning meeting, the solutions that we devised were diverse, which allowed them to be more successful as the needs of our students are also diverse.

Every session at Jumpstart is a learning experience for me as much as our children. I learn new instructional and classroom management strategies, how to partner with my peers, and how lucky I am to have the opportunity to work with Jumpstart again. Every week, I appreciate the community of support that Jumpstart provides both in and out of the classroom in order to ensure the success of us corps members and the students that we work with.

~Grant Conway

Team Leader

Team Joy

A Blur

My name is Brianna and I am a freshman at American University. I just finished up my first semester, and it went by like a blur. I had the wonderful opportunity to share my love of reading, writing, and educating, by beginning to work just AmeriCorps’s Jumpstart program. Before I found out about Jumpstart, I was planning on doing a simple office job on campus. However, that would have been a grave mistake and a wonderful opportunity lost. Two of my favorite things are spending time with children and reading, and I can actually get paid for this? Jumpstart is more than a simple job. You could probably not even call it a job; I get to spend time with wonderful children, teachers, and my team twice a week. It’s absolutely wonderful.

I remember my first Jumpstart session very clearly. I was terribly nervous that I would do or say something wrong, and either I would get fired or worse, the children would hate me. My team and I walked into the classroom, and the immediate change in the children’s posture and expressions was astounding. They were so excited to see us that my heart warmed instantly, and I fell in love with each and every one of those kids. I remember in particular a little boy who was extremely upset and crying. I went over to him and talked to him for maybe two minutes, and he walked away smiling. All of the children were so engaged that day, and even though my team may not have been perfect, or far from it that first time, the kids instantly warmed to us and made it a wonderful experience for everyone involved.

Another session that I will never forget was the one on the day of Halloween. I should probably have known that all the kids would be dressed up, however, I was extremely surprised when I walked into that classroom and saw those adorable little costumes. The session practically went out of the window the minute we walked in as the kids, extremely excited and some possibly already on a sugar high, were jumping off the walls the entire day. Although the classroom was crazy, our classroom management skills had increased enough by that time that we were able to keep the kids’ behavior under control – for the most part. One boy, who coincidentally was dressed up as Batman, could simply not sit still and began climbing on things and jumping off of them just as quick. He was definitely a handful that day, but I will never forget those loving smiles spread across their faces and that sheer joy radiating from them and my team. 

~Brianna Seiler

Corps member

Team Joy

New Opportunities

            I had never heard of jumpstart before I transferred this semester to American University. Stacia got my attention for this program the second she started telling me about it at the fair. I couldn’t be happier that I decide to join in. I didn’t have any experience with 4 year olds and I knew it would be a challenge, but I was willing to give it all I had.

           Every Tuesday and Friday morning can be rough, because my day starts at 7 am, which is when I get up and get ready to head off to the AU shuttle, where it takes me to Tenleytown so I can meet my members of Jumpstart and get on the metro to make our way to Anacostia. However, the second I step inside the classroom it makes it all worth it. Even though sessions can have outbreaks of crying, screaming 4 year olds and the attention span is to a minimal, it all works out in the end. Even though the children don’t seem to pay attention, in the next session when you ask them questions, they know the answer. Which is remarkable.

            Originally, I started looking for a volunteer opportunity because I need it for my child psychology course. Working with the children has helped me see first hand the developmental stages that we learn in that class, such as cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development. However, my child psychology class is the last thing I think about while I’m in there. The first time I went into the classroom I was super nervous, but now though it’s great. I’ve been able to see how much of an impact Jumpstart has had on these children from session to session. I get to see how much they improve and I’ve gotten to know so many of the children. It’s so great when a child comes up to me and says, “Hey, Ms. Penny, look what I did”.  I’ve definitely had some funny experiences as well, such as looking over at two children who were playing in the kitchen and the 4 year old boy going up to the 4 year girl and saying, “hey baby”. I lost my mind; it’s unbelievable what these children know at such a young age. Ha-ha.   

             All in all, I have absolutely no regrets on joining jumpstart, and I cannot wait for next semester to continue being in the classroom

Panayiota Larigakis
Corps Member
Team Dedication

A letter to my past, present, and future self

            When I look back at my life exactly one year ago, I recall stressing out about college applications and the "dream college".  I imagined myself interning  at one of our nation's public administration offices and museums. Working for an organization that is devoted to early childhood education was never a part of my plan. 

            Tuesdays and Fridays are my most hectic days. My day begins at 8:55am with an economics class, and it ends at 10:00pm with a statistic class.  In between these two classes is Jumpstart. I wake up on these days filled with nerves and anxiety. During the metro ride I think about on the quality of material that we are bringing to the children. These are the questions that fly around in my head before arriving to the school.

            " What if they don't like the book?"

            " What if they cry today?"

            "What if I mess up?"

            Usually all of these possible sceneries become realty in each session. Some students throw fits while other students fight and argue with one another. The sessions are usually filled with some form of disarray and misconduct, but we always leave the classroom unscathed and wanting more time with our students.

            Aside from the occasional crying, the students actually show incredible understanding of the meaning of words. They understand that only certain letters can come together to make certain words. This was something I lacked as a child. I needed someone to physically tell me that letters were important because letters led to sounds, which led to spelling out words. I leave each session feeling  so proud of my students because they always go beyond expectations. Working for Jumpstart really has giving me a renewed appreciation for education. 

Trinh Son
Corps Member
Team Compassion

I am thankful for...

Around the holidays, it is easy for us to remember what we are thankful for. Sitting around a table adorned with food and surrounded by friends, we find ourselves most reminded of all the good things we have in our life. It is a shame that this phenomenon only occurs for a month out of the year. For the other ~330 days, we drone on through daily routines: class, work, grocery shopping, lunches with friends, phone calls to family. And we continue this way until turkeys, fall leaves, Christmas ornaments, and trees have taken over the ‘seasonal’ section of every store and remind us to reflect on all the good things we have. 

            Obviously, this isn’t quite true for everyone. Sometimes we are reminded, in a quick moment, how much we have to enjoy. It is these small moments that I found in my Jumpstart classroom. Twice a week, my team and I embark on the journey to our partner school: a shuttle, a metro, a transfer, another metro, a walk, and then three flights of stairs stand in our way. We usually tackle each one. Then, we gather our things and head to our class room – room 118: the place where these small moments remind me of what I have to be thankful for.

            Entering college, I had no idea about Jumpstart – it was a lucky find. At a career fair table sat my site manager – I paced around, peering at the materials she had brought. She told me more about what Jumpstart was and we briefly chatted.  I left her with a resume, went home, and logged onto jstart.org. Occasionally, when I am watching my Corp members, I think about how that exchange started this amazing experience.

            Although every amazing experience comes with some struggle – and our team has had plenty of struggles – I can’t imagine a better way to devote my time to my community. Even after a difficult day in the classroom, we all leave feeling that we accomplished something that was worth the effort and frustration. Despite all the work that we put into Jumpstart and the added stress that comes along, I have never thought, “You know, this isn’t worth it.” It isn’t easy, but it most certainly is worth it.

            Jumpstart has given me so much to be thankful for – I am thankful for my teammates who put in the enormous effort to provide the best service to our children. I am thankful for the squeals of “Jumpstart” that welcome us into the classroom. I am thankful for kids who enthusiastically sing Eensy Weensy Spider. I am thankful for washable paint. I am thankful that my name has become Ms. Jumpstart. I am thankful for hand sanitizer and Emergen-C. But most of all, I am thankful that there are organizations like Jumpstart give children the tools to succeed.  And I am thankful that Jumpstart is giving me the tools to make a better future.

Thanks Jumpstart, and Happy Thanksgiving.  

~Hannah Holley

Team Leader

Team Opportunity

Benefits of the routine

After every Jumpstart session, on my walk back to my apartment from the shuttle, I call my mom. She has worked in early childhood education for longer than I’ve been alive. She truly enjoys hearing my stories from the day, and by this time has even started learning the names of “my kids.” We talk about the session’s core storybook (most of which she is familiar with), and all of the fun and challenging moments of session.

I tell her the sweet moments, too. When one of the girls draws me as her friend in the writing center, identifying me by my orange painted nails. Or when one of the girls takes notice of my glasses and asks why I wear them and I explain how they help me see better. Or when my dramatic play center of “grocery shopping” turns into picking up the fake fruits and vegetables from the floor, or when we played the alphabet matching game in puzzles with ALL of the cards because they were getting bored with only a few matches available at a time.

I tell her how smart the girls are, in addition to how much I notice their progress. I told her on the first day about how one of the girls in my reading group knew all of the letters well enough to help me go through everyone’s name (including the card labeling it as “Miss Simpson’s group.” (Apostrophe and all!) I told her about how familiar they were with the story of “Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza” and “Peter’s Chair.” And how silly they think the idea of a frog walking a dog is in “Down by the Bay.”

I also share with her the challenging moments: when we were short two team members and I had to cover dramatic play. Or when someone is crying and I have to try to figure out why, when they don’t want to tell me what’s wrong. Sometimes she gives me advice on how she would handle the issues I face. Sometimes she tells me stories about issues she has faced in her interactions with young children and how she has handled them.

I know the children we work with benefit from the routine of the Jumpstart session. They aren’t the only ones. I benefit from the routine of it, too. In my crazy school week, it’s nice to have a few hours that I know, at least roughly, what I’ll be doing, and that I’ll be enjoying it. From the moment I meet up with my team at the metro, to the moment I get off the phone with my mom after session ends, I know my Tuesday and Friday afternoons will be fun.

Caitlin Simpson

Corps Member

Team Compassion

My Jumpstart Connection

I finally made my jumpstart connection. I knew I was helping out but I didn’t really see how this work truly correlated with the success of an older child. But a few weeks ago, I finally figured it out.

I know this makes sense and I know we were told this in training but no one really stops to think about it until they are in the situation. I had a 4 year old at my writing station who could not write the letter "C". He really wanted to get it right. I tried to help guide his hand, have him trace dots, have him trace over a capital "C" to practice the motion, to explain that he was very close but had it just a bit backwards- but he could not do it. The teacher came over and tried to help but was struggling as well so she moved on to help other students at a different station. For a minute I thought, "that's ok he will get it eventually, let's just move on to what he is good at." But then I realized that this was the connection. This is how children fall behind. It starts when they are 4 and can't write the letter C and it gradually gets worse as they are pushed through the public school system never able to read at grade level. When I got back to my dorm room and told my roommate about my day she told me that she had a fifth grader in DC Reads ask her what the letter “W” was. He got all the way to fifth grade without knowing what a “W” was. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know this letter, and it wasn’t the four-year-old’s fault that he could not write the first letter of his name.

It took a few weeks to make this realization, but my entire outlook on Jumpstart completely changed after this day. I love when children tell me about new rhyming words they have found since last session. I also feel like a total celebrity while walking through the halls the preschool. The students, teachers and staff love Jumpstart and so do I.  

~Christine Asetta

Corps member

Team Dedication

Getting children ready to succeed

Before coming to school this year, I worked with a summer program that served residents of the Pawtucket Housing Authority in Rhode Island. It wasn’t a very structured program, so I was able to work with children of all ages. It was a program that was intended to provide activities for the children of the community to keep them out of trouble. Volunteers of the program were encouraged to be role models, to encourage children to read and explore different endeavors. I really enjoyed working with these kids, but there were also many difficulties. Although we were supposed to get the children excited about books, it was a difficult task to undertake when many could not read. I remember working with Jazmine, a small, soft spoken, second grader. I was reading to her a Curious George book. And, I was also trying to get her to read the book with me. But, she couldn’t read many of the words. The book that we were reading was fairly simple as it was intended for first graders. So, I couldn’t believe how much she was incapable of reading. I suppose it was then that the issue of the achievement gap became very real to me. It was upsetting to know that Jazmine was going through the Pawtucket public school system unable to read at grade level. Why was she so ill equipped to read a first grade level book? I was appalled to find out that she had been neglected during her first few years in school.  

As a Corp Member of Jumpstart, I am glad that I am part of a program that works to prevent students from falling behind like Jazmine already had. Every day that I go into session I am happy that I am there to get preschoolers excited to read and learn. There is warmth in the connection that is formed with these three year olds that allows them to become excited. I remember drawing a family picture with Lyric, one of my students in my reading group, during one of the first few sessions. She drew every one of her family members for me and I could tell that she was so excited that I was listening to her.  Since then she has been attached to me at the hip. So, I have been keen to her progression in Jumpstart. During reading and circle time, she has become more responsive to the stories and songs. When I first started Jumpstart, Lyric was often inattentive and distracted during reading and circle time. But, now she gets excited to take part in many of the activities of Jumpstart. I am very happy that I am able to be part of her excitement for the program and that I can help in her preparation for kindergarten.

~Katie Kuy
Corps member
Team Courage

My Jumpstart

Now that my team, Team Kindness, has been in the classroom for six session plans we are starting to see the kids becoming attached to us; we are their Jumpstart. I have had a student propel herself at me when we walked into the classroom and attach herself to my legs. Our students have also started to learn our names and they now are starting to remember the order of activities we do and our transition songs. The changes in how the students react and behave to Jumpstart from our first session to now is a drastic difference and it is amazing to see.

We walk into our classroom and the kids start singing “Goodbye Jumpstart” we start laughing and just tell our kids that JumpStart just started and its not time to go yet. Then when we are going over our name cards my students hold up their cards in the air and ask for Miss. Alexis, who is the team leader for Team Kindness, to come around and collect them so we can start reading. During reading time my students always sings “It’s time to put the books away” even though we just started reading. They laugh and laugh when we tell them that it isn’t time to put the books away.

Even though our kids are just now starting to understand the schedule of Jumpstart they became attached to Jumpstart by our third time in the classroom. They will scream and literally jump when its time for Jumpstart and when it is time to leave because their parents came to pick them up they started to introduce us as “my Jumpstart” from the very beginning.

Even on the metro rides to and from session we have encountered kids and parents who see our shirts and go “Jumpstart?”. I wasn’t sure to believe those stories when we heard them in training but they are true!!

Anyone that is involved with JumpStart in some way gets connected and finds that connection soon after being introduced to the program. Corps members, students, classroom teachers, and parents alike all see the red shirt or Jumpstart logo and heads turn looking to see if the person wearing the shirt is “their Jumpstart”. Seeing the connection that I have made to the program and the connection that my kids have made I cannot wait for all the good things that come after we have been in the classroom more than a few months! Things will only get better and the smile will only get bigger. 

~Stephanie Dudek

Corps member

Team Kindness

Session Plan 6

            Team Connection just finished session plan 6, first implementation. I am even more excited about Jumpstart and its mission than I was initially. All of the techniques taught to the corps members on how to effectively treat children are applicable to my daily life. I have 9 nieces and nephews, and thanks to Jumpstart I am able to apply these skills that corps members develop during trainings and sessions. I recently e-mailed my boss to let her know how grateful I am for being a part of a mission to help children who come from similar backgrounds as me. Working toward the goal of preparing children for kindergarten is an ambitious objective that becomes more attainable every day that Jumpstart corps members and volunteers step into the classroom.

            For one of the sessions I was at the puzzles and manipulatives center where I made alphabet matching boards. That center is paired with reading since we are short a few corps members. Several of the students finished the boards and others took longer to finish just one. During this particular session one of the students was matching the cards with the card’s corresponding color instead of letter. I worked with him for several minutes, but he did not understand what the directions were. I looked over to the other students and gave them high fives to compliment them for finishing their board, while acknowledging that they had matched the letters correctly. After several more minutes I turned back to the student who was having difficulty understanding the directions, and he had paired all of the cards with their correct letter. My voice embodied the high pitch teacher voice that Jumpstart members are known for. I congratulated him which followed with a heartfelt high five. He smiled and ran to show one of his teachers. That student stayed at my center for the rest of session and successfully finished all of the alphabet boards he attempted. It helped him see his peers get rewarded with a high five when matching the letters.

            For another one of our sessions, during circle time we sang Down by the Bay and the children absolutely loved it. After every verse they excitedly asked us to sing it again. We kept saying how silly it was for a mouse to paint a house, a verse in the song. They all laughed and agreed. Their expressions were priceless when we noted the verse that read a frog walking a dog. They adopted the form of the song when they came up with their own rhyming words because the pairs they chose were just as hilarious as the ones in the song. 

~Belen flores

Corps member

Team Connection

2nd Year in Jumpstart

            I began this semester as a Corps member for my second year. I learned a lot in my first semester as a Jumpstart Corps member, but as I proceeded to my second year I found that there’s still a lot to learn. I had an entire year of experience under my belt but I was entering a new school with new students and a different classroom culture. I was moving from the Sunshine Early Learning Center to Cedar Tree Academy, a much larger school. The tactics I learned from my reading groups last year were not necessarily working in the new reading groups. The team dynamics were completed changed and I needed to learn to adapt to them. Despite the differences, I find this year to be as rewarding as before. Even though I have entered the classroom with certain expectations and ideas about education and elementary education in DC, I have learned a lot this year. I transitioned from three years old to four year olds. I was surprised how smart my kids were in the classroom when I first met them. I had to learn how to interact with them differently as well as how to implement the Jumpstart curriculum in a way that is more challenging for four-year-old students. At face value, it may seem like Jumpstart’s intentions are to merely promote the learning of preschoolers. Once you become more involved, though, you realize how much the Corps members benefit from learning so much about our communities and the education system as a whole.

Christina Mills

Corps member

Team Joy

Let's Play

            Working with children is something I’ve always done. It’s something that both relaxes me and makes me happy. Before coming to college, I was concerned that my chances with working with children were going to be over, but I was extremely lucky to have found Jumpstart. Jumpstart is a LOT of work. Being a team leader, planning sessions to perfection and making materials is something done on a daily basis. Oftentimes friends on my floor will ask me in the middle of frantic materials creation in the lounge why it is that I do Jumpstart. My answer is always that I do Jumpstart for the incredible children I get to see twice a week. Hearing fourteen adorable voices scream “Jumpstart!” when I walk through the door to room 101 every Wednesday and Friday is an extremely rewarding way to start the session. A striking moment in Jumpstart for me was after asking one of our children why he was sad. This adorable little boy while being sad was drawing a picture of himself looking sad. When I asked what was wrong he replied, “no one at home wants to play with me.” Taken aback, I quickly answered, “I want to play with you!” The teachers had told us that he has some issues at home, but most sessions he hadn’t shown it. Hearing this one simple sentence made me realize Jumpstart’s importance in these children’s lives. Jumpstart are friends that they can rely on to come every week. We are always willing and ready to play (and of course learn at the same time.) On Friday, as we were leaving session one of our little girls came up to me as the kids flowed to sharing and goodbye and said, “I don’t want you to go,” but I reassured her we would be back on Wednesday. Another little boy cried when his dad had to pick him up early, and take him away from painting a fantastic pizza. These are the reasons I love Jumpstart. Whether it be watching a face light up as a child gets their letter to match with the one on the board, or watching a child try oh so hard to pronounce correctly the word delicatessen, Jumpstart always finds a way to make me smile. Seeing the faces of fourteen amazing children that I know appreciate our company is one of the most rewarding things I have every done in my life.

~Alexis Maxwell
Team Leader
Team Kindness

Let’s Try to this new thing called Jumpstart

How could I not be attracted to this organization? I love working with children and helping them to develop their young minds. Jumpstart does just that. I realize training days for any job does not seem like the most fun a college student could have but my supervisor used every trick she knew to keep us entertained during our 8 hour training days. Unfortunately, I still felt overwhelmed by the wealth of information she gave us. For the next several days I second- guessed my decision to join the team. I wondered whether I was truly qualified for the position; was my love for educating children enough to really make a difference? Luckily, my supervisor never gave up on us. She kept training us until we were comfortable enough to set forth into our classrooms.

Eventually the first day of session comes and I’m practically shaking from a combination of nerves and excitement. I can honestly say that the first day of session was not the smoothest but the most fun I've had in a classroom in a while. All the students in my class were a ball of energy and were so eager to participate in all the activities we introduced. I left the classroom feeling incredibly confident; I knew I had made the right choice of staying a part of Jumpstart.

I recognize that I still have much to learn but I’m eager to do so. I want to know how to perform my role as a corps member to the best of my ability. Personally, I’m still working on making sure reading to reconstruct is carried out the way it should be. I realized that I’m starting to ask ‘yes or no’ questions but I need questions that require an explanation. But I think that if I spent even just five to ten more minutes prepare more questions that I already have then my questions for the students will become stronger. On the flip side of the situation, when reading for enjoyment is carried out well and prepared ahead of time, by the time the students are at reading to reconstruct, they are dominated the conversation. Sometimes the discussion of the book is so good that I only need to ask three to four questions the entire session.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m slowly adjusting to my new position. I've grown more confident of my ability and recognize what areas I need to improve.

~Ashlee Harvey
Corps member
Team Inspiration

Determination is the key to success

            Determination is the first word that comes to mind when I think of my team Inspiration. My role as team leader has provoked determination out of my corps members, my students, and myself. I am determined to always do better, and push that little bit further to get better results. I started out as a corps member on team Dedication, and it taught me a lot about how to approach Jumpstart and work through any problems with dedication and willpower. When I moved to a team leader position on team Inspiration I encountered different ways in which I was determined. I became determined to be the best leader I could be for my corps members as well as my students. I am determined to be prepared with materials and in the session material because these children deserve the best, and I am determined to give it to them.

            Determination is defined as firmness of purpose or resoluteness, which is a key value of Jumpstart and my team. We show our firmness of purpose when we go into the classroom ready to tackle any obstacle that comes our way. We employ our determination through our ability to be able to go into the classroom fully prepared even if a corps member is sick or cannot make it. My corps members hold the same values as I do, to give the children our best and maximize their learning potential. We all come together with materials and session books in-hand, ready to take on the day. One example of determination from my corps members was when one of my corps members took it upon herself to better our team. She was determined to create some great team bonding so she spent the time researching different methods and came up with a fun game for all of us to play. She gave us each a handful of m&m’s and told us for each color there was something for us to share about ourselves, whether it was a fun fact, or what it is we like about AU. This was a great activity because we got to have fun with it and learn more about each other. Great teams are determined, and I have the pleasure of being part of a team that is determined to be close, work hard in the classroom, get the most out of this opportunity, and always be prepared. 

~Loren Grier

Team Leader

Team Determination

Jumpstart Grocery

As we have had more and more sessions, my team and I have gotten more and more close to the children. We have also grown closer to each other.  When I see my team members around campus we always greet each other with a smile, and are always willing to offer a helping hand. Our common goal of brightening the lives of the children we work with has given us a bond that is unrivaled.

Last week after our second implementation of session plan 4, we were assigned different centers for center time. For session 5 I had the dramatic play center, I had to turn dramatic play into a grocery store. Dramatic play is probably one of the hardest centers to manage, however it is also where some of the most interesting Jumpstart experiences happen. As I gathered materials for my center throughout the week, my team members and I constantly checked in on each other making sure we had everything we needed. We would stop by each other’s room to drop off materials and suggest ideas. Having this kind of communication and concern for one another is extremely important in a job like this.

That week I had made a cardboard checkout counter, “Jump-Dollars” (money), posters for the grocery store, and had brought grocery bags and some empty food boxes for the children to play with. During circle time when our team leader presented the centers, a lot of the kids really wanted to play in dramatic play (which is completely normal). I was both excited and nervous about what was to come. When I got to the center I set up the counter, and organized the signs I made, and about 6 children came over. Every once in a while there was some arguing over the materials, but overall everything was all right.

What moment sticks in my head from this session was when I counted one of the kids’ “Jump- Dollars.” He came up to me and said, “Hey! Look at all the money I have! Could you count it for me?” I counted out the money for him one time, and then I had him count it with me. When we counted together sometimes I would pause before I said the next number to see if he could say the correct one before me. Though sometimes he didn’t always get the right number, there were a couple of times he guessed correctly on his own. His excitement while counting together was a beautiful thing to witness.  Once he knew the exact number of the amount of “Jump-Dollars” he had he was so happy. That one moment made the hours I spent gathering and making all my materials worth it! Jumpstart is awesome!

~Wesley Williams
Corps member
Team Connection

Team Kindness

Hi Jumpstart friends! I’m Maria Lewis, a freshman at American University and a Corps Member for Jumpstart DC! I’ve been a member of Team Kindness for about two months, and since then my team members and I have gotten so close with each other! Making materials, planning sessions, and traveling to and from Appletree Institute Public Charter School together every Wednesday and Friday afternoon has really enabled us to connect and get to know each other! Plus taking group photos together for the Jumpstart Team Picture Contest, which Team Kindness got second place for most likes (344!), has gotten us very spirited about our team and enthusiastic about team morale. We couldn’t be more thankful to have a lovely team with fantastic Corps Members, Natalie, Lauren, Tara, Stephanie, and Jenn, and a terrific Team Leader, Alexis.

Ever since the first time we stepped into our Jumpstart classroom, we’ve had such a positive response from our students and from our classroom teachers. Going to Appletree every Wednesday and Friday really makes our kids smile and, according to our classroom teachers, they can’t wait for us to come and read, sing, and play with them. So far we’ve done five sessions with our students and we’ve really seen an improvement in their performance and their understanding of Jumpstart as a whole. They really seem to be understanding what to expect from when we enter the classroom, which always results in hugs and them exclaiming “Jumpstart!!”,  to when it’s “time for us to part”.

With our readings, our kids have really been able to connect them to other life experiences and lessons they have learned outside of Jumpstart, which is amazing. They especially enjoyed The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) and were able to understand the basic concepts of friendship and helping friends in need. My center for center time was writing for that session, and they were really able to draw what they liked to do with their friends. After that session, I switched to books for center time and picked out seven books that are related to friendship. It was really nice to read to kids that I don’t normally read with, who are equally as lovely and wonderful, and make more individual connections with the kids. At one point during the reading, the child asked if she could read the book to me next. Even though she couldn’t read the exact words on the page, it was amazing that she could understand the basic concepts. It really opened my eyes to what these kids are capable of doing, and how much Jumpstart has allowed them to expand on their skills inside and outside the classroom.

~Maria Lewis

Corps member

Team Kindness

Materials Creation

Construction paper covers every surface of my apartment. Small strips of colored paper, large pieces of poster board, and children’s books are everywhere, sometimes to the dismay of my roommate. The amount of materials we make for Jumpstart sessions every week has increased significantly as my group has realized the importance of quality materials in the classroom.

As we prepare for our fifth session plan, we’re eagerly anticipating making materials for dramatic play – grocery shopping and item sorting. We’ve collected empty food boxes to use for grocery shopping, and we’re making fake money and cash registers so the students can interact with different aspects of the grocery shopping experience. And although it might seem like a trivial situation, it’s hugely important for developing vocabulary. Words and concepts like grocery lists, cash registers, and supermarkets are concepts that are embedded in everyday life, but aren’t topics that are conventionally covered in school. By incorporating it into dramatic play, we allow students to interact with important daily activities in a fun and entertaining way.

When we first went through Jumpstart training, our site manager stressed the importance of high quality materials. But it wasn’t until I got into the classroom that I realized how important they really are. Our students are incredibly tactile-based in their development right now. Interacting physically with materials increases their desire and ability to learn. For example, one of our most popular puzzles centers has been Alphabet Matching Boards. I was very purposeful in making large, colorful and interactive boards so that our students would be interested in learning their letters. Learning letters seems to basic to me now as an adult, but for my preschoolers, it’s a fundamental building block of their learning, and without these fun games, they might not be as interested in learning the alphabet.

It’s awesome to see our students get so excited to play with puzzles or engage in Circle Time because of the materials we’ve made. It helps create these small moments in the classroom – moments when students finally realize what an uppercase letter A looks like, or can relate our core storybook back to washing dishes in dramatic play. It is these moments where I see Jumpstart making a difference in the lives of children, and that makes all of the work we do entirely worth it.

~Sarah Floyd
Team Leader
Team Determination