Shaky Steps

Since joining Jumpstart I have noticed how challenging yet rewarding it can be to work with a group of energetic youngsters. I have never volunteered or had much experience with pre-schoolers. I thought I would take this opportunity to break out of my comfort zone and try something new. My initial thought being around a bunch of 4 year olds made me nervous because when it comes to this age group anything goes. At first I felt really overwhelmed seeing all their bright faces with the so much curiosity. All of them swarming around me as if I was handing out candy asking a range of random questions. I was feeling pretty good with the training and preparation at the start. Then all of a sudden, I was second guessing whether or not to be part of the program after the very first session. I felt completely exhausted not sure exactly how or why but those 2 hour sessions I would have never thought. I told myself that I have to give it another shot and I wouldn’t know for sure until I went back to the classroom. I began thinking about the mission and vision of Jumpstart and this led me to reconsider my options. I began asking for support from my fellow peers and my site supervisor. They provided my with some good advice. Once I stepped back in the classroom, it felt different for some reason. When you actually sit down with the children either in small groups or one-on-one you get to really learn so much about each kid. You get to actually make a real connection with them. It’s great  to see how enthusiastic they are about Jumpstart when we step into the classroom.

~Erasmo Mendez
Corps member
Team Dedication 

Transitions and Growth

Jumpstart has completely taken me by surprise. When I first learned about this organization from Stacia at Eagle Summit Orientation, I was initially extremely excited about it. I have always loved working with kids and I thought that this would be a fun easy way to earn my work study and do something I love at the same time. Then we started trainings, and after the first 8 hour training session I began to question my decision to join Jumpstart. My feelings about Jumpstart took another turn when I entered the classroom. Meeting the children and implementing all of the tools we spent so much time learning reinforced my original passion for this program. I know that I made the right decision to leave Stacia my email that day because what we are doing is truly rewarding. I started off as a Corps member and had the opportunity to read with the kids; it gave me a great feeling seeing them make connections and learn new things. Since then I have taken on the role as Team Leader on team Inspiration, and stressful as that may be I am very excited to welcome this new responsibility and get as much as I can out of this program.

~Loren Grier
Team Leader
Team Inspiration

Getting Started

My Jumpstart team, team connection, just finished session plan two this Tuesday, and we are starting session plan three this Friday. My experience so far has been phenomenal. The students from my session are smart, funny, and adorable. I have been at puzzles and art for center time and there are always children interested in singing the alphabet song once we finish making the puzzle, or counting the sides of the shapes in art, when making collages. During one of the sessions, after the children and I had constructed the puzzle several times, we all sang the alphabet song together. I made sure to use one of the vocabulary words, unison, multiple times in order to ingrain the new vocabulary from Oonga Boonga into the children. Ms. Johnson, the children’s teacher, was ecstatic this past session with the materials team connection brought to session. I had cut out shapes from tissue paper and it turns out that Ms. J absolutely loves tissue paper. The environment in the classroom is welcoming and comforting, which helps everyone remain on task and productive.  

Team connection is short one member which means we have to combine two of the centers into one. So far this has not been problematic. Having a small group made it easier for us to get to know each other. We have not had many sessions, but I am starting to notice what everyone is good at, and who can handle the more demanding centers such as dramatic play. I enjoy that we commute to and from session together because we can reflect on session and share our individual experiences. For example, the member at dramatic play typically has children all over him or her and they do not notice what goes on at art or writing. When we are commuting back it is helpful to let the other members know what went well and what did not, since they cannot notice other centers during session. This helps prepare them to make the next session flow more smoothly.

~Belen Flores
Corps member
Team Connection

Kids say (and notice) the darndest things

If my family thought that I was crazy for telling them a new funny story every day after working with six year olds this summer, just wait until Christmas. After having a lot of experience working with elementary aged children, I wanted to see what it was like to work with children in preschool so I decided to volunteer for Jumpstart. I am really enjoying my work so far and it is exciting to be a part of the growth I see in each child, but I want to use this blog post as time to inform the world that the phrase, “Kids say (and notice) the darndest things”, is even more applicable for three and four year olds than it is for a bunch of six year olds at summer camp. 

After each session, our team sits around and compares stories. Last week, I made the mistake of forgetting to remove some liquid eyeliner that was on my hand and one of the children at my center traced his finger over it and said, “Do you have a tattoo?!” He and his friend then proceeded to tell me about every single member of their family who had a tattoo until I successfully looped the fact that they both had brothers back to “Oonga Boonga”. Then this week, a fellow corps member warned me that without fail, every one of her children noticed that the baby in “Peter’s Chair” was naked. Sure enough, during second implementation, each of my children was completely infatuated with the fact that there was a naked baby in the book.

It is the little things they say and those “ah ha” moments that make me truly enjoy what I am doing at Jumpstart.  I feel such immense pride in my kids, my fellow corps members, and myself at the end of each session. Story time will be ten times more interesting at Christmas this year as I tell my family, with great pride, all about Jumpstart.

Christine Asetta

Corps Member

Team Dedication

Jumpstart: Changing the Lives of Children and Corps Members

We’re going into our third week of Jumpstart session now, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience I’m having as a Jumpstart Corps member and team leader.

The day of our first Jumpstart session, I was so nervous – it was as if it were my first day of school! But when Team Determination walked into that classroom (determinedly, of course), we were greeted with a barrage of hugs and exclamations of “Are you here to play with us?!”.

The students are genuinely excited to see us on Jumpstart days, and I think I can speak for my entire team when I say that we are genuinely excited to see them. Watching a student connect a lesson from a core storybook to an activity in Let’s Find Out About It, or correctly identify all of the letters in their name, makes me feel like I really am making a difference in a child’s education.

And although there have been some hiccups along the way - here’s a tip: never let children paint without smocks on - I know that we all have much to learn from each other, Corps members and students alike. I truly believe that I can learn as much from these preschoolers as they can from me. 

Is it too cliché to say that I love my students? Because I do! Each day, they are excited and eager to learn. Each day, they make me happy to be walking into that classroom. It may only be the third week, but I know that this is going to be a great year.

Sarah Floyd

Team Leader

Team Determination

Hi Jumpstart!

Jumpstart has been a really great experience so far.  I have really enjoyed going into the classroom and working with young children over the past few weeks.  I am beginning to understand just how important early childhood development is and the impact it can have on the future academic success of young children.  My favorite part of Jumpstart is when we all walk into the room and all the faces of the kids light up.  The children will shout, “Hi Jumpstart”, with big smiles on their faces.  Sometimes they even come up and hug you because they are so excited that it is a Jumpstart day.  Another thing that I truly enjoy about Jumpstart is that I have four children that I get to see at the beginning of every Jumpstart session when we do our welcome.  This is always fun because the kids remember your name and you remember all of their names.  You get the chance to go over how to spell everybody’s name, and then you get to read to them.  Even though it can be very exhausting, there is nothing better than being able to engage and interact with young children who are excited to learn new things.  I hope that during my time at Jumpstart I continue to learn more about the children and that I can see the progress that every single child has made over an entire school year.  The most rewarding part of Jumpstart is being able to see the children improve in the classroom. 

~Kevin Felisme
Corps member
Team Determination

One session down...

Although I have only experienced one implementation so far, I know Jumpstart is the place for me. I have had the joy of working with my wonderful team and the adorable children, they bring so much happiness and I hope they will continue to do so. The idea of working with children and helping out the community I now live in is something I don’t think I will ever be able to forget.

            Just from the first day I can tell these children want to learn and are very curious beings. They are very smart and think about the world around them so creatively. While completing art with my kids they explained some many ideas about the colors and compared them to other objects in the room. They were also amazed by the idea of making other colors by mixing primary colors. Now this project was a bit messy I had paint all over my face and hair, but that is part of learning, by taking part in the entire experience. The children when learning something new have such a large smile on their faces, they are extremely proud of themselves. For example every time Oonga Boonga was repeated they were so happy that they could participate and that they knew what was written in the book. As this year continues I am so excited to see the children, that have already amazed me by the short amount of time I have spent with them, amaze me even more, everything from writing their names to being able to reading words in books.

            I am so happy to serve as a Corp member at American University Jumpstart.

~Alexandra Fraioli

Corps member

Team Learning

Joy of Jumpstart

The laughter, the giggles, and the screams combined create an atmosphere of happiness and innocence. The kids scramble to the front of the room as soon as they see the red JumpStart T-shirts and it provides so much joy and they automatically brighten your day. All of the troubles and stress from earlier that day are left at the door and for two hours you are allowed to forget and let loose. The beauty of working with children is that infect you with their happiness and excitement that you motivate yourself to offer them the best JumpStart session they’ve ever had. Although these children may come from “low-income” families they are intelligent, funny, and ambitious and they act like the rest of the three year olds in “middle-income” families. JumpStart is there just to emphasize the importance of reading, writing, and creativity. Perhaps in their household their parents or grandparents do not have the time or opportunity to read to them but that does not mean these children are at a disadvantage.

                  Furthermore, the anticipation of the first session was stressful and anxious because as a Corp Member you do not want to ruin the JumpStart experience for the children; first impressions are always the most crucial. All of the preparation and awkward stares from my roommates when I was reading Oonga Boonga in my teacher voice eased my nerves just slightly but I learned that as a Corp Member we have to be able to go with the flow and think on your feet rather quickly. The first session did not go according to plan but it wasn’t a disaster either; we learned as a team what worked and what needed improvement. Even though I stumbled on my words during name cards and reading, my kids didn’t notice because they were just intrigued with our presence. During center time, my center was Reading and I was already forewarned that no child would go to my center; however, I had one lone child that was very enthusiastic about books. I read to him and he read to me and he never became bored with the books or Reading Center which gave me such joy because I always loved it when my mother read to me as a child. Having the ability to instill the importance of literature and reading to a child is so exhilarating that the forty five minutes of center time zoomed by and I was ready for the next session.

                  Moreover, the end of the first session is a huge relief because you actually made it through the whole session with actual kids and you did not die or cry. After interacting with three year olds for two hours you literally feel like you just ran a marathon and all you want to do is sleep for the next twelve hours. Now I understand why parents always look so frazzled and drained when they drop off their kids to school or practice. We definitely must give parents more credit because they have to have much more patience than Corp Members do. We are lucky because after two hours we have the ability to leave the classroom and return but parents are not as lucky. Furthermore, I realized to appreciate my parents for putting up with me as a child because I know I was not an easy baby to deal with. As I get more comfortable with my kids and all the session plans I will be able to worry less and enjoy the session along with the kids. JumpStart is all about these kids and I am so proud and honored to be a part of an organization that is breaking the barrier of education.   

~Natalie Giron
Corps member
Team Kindness

An unexpected twist

This past week I had my first Jumpstart session. The day before, two people on my floor had their first session. When I asked them how it was, their faces lit up. It looked like they were remembering the best day of their life. I sensed pure happiness. This made me even more excited to experience my first Jumpstart session, but when we got to Cedar Tree, we were hit with quite an unusual experience.

The amount of children we had caught us off guard. Four. Four adorable, tiny, Jumpstart friends. Six less kids than we had expected for our already small classroom. Four students for six members was a little nerve-racking as we quickly had to figure out how we were going to best conduct Reading for Enjoyment. It worked out well with an awesome 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of members to children. It was clear that the kids loved having so much attention to themselves.

By the time Reading ended, two of our four children were picked up by their parents. Suddenly, we had two kids left for our Jumpstart session. We all giggled nervously about our dysfunctional classroom, but we quickly worked together to make the session flow.

I was nervous that with only two kids, we would run out of things to do or they would lose interest, but we were all greeted with pleasant surprises. The two Jumpstart friends we had left had personalities that filled the room as if we had a class of twenty. We all laughed, painted, colored, and read. We shared in the joy of our children as they wrote their own names and skipped from station to station during Center Time.

Despite the challenge we faced of having only a few friends, I had an amazing experience at our first Jumpstart session. Our kids lit up my life and allowed me to escape the stresses of midterms for a couple hours. I came back to my dorm with so much to say about session that my roommate was shocked that all my stories came from just two little three-year-olds.

Now, whether our class will only ever have two kids, four kids, or ten kids, I know that no matter what, I will leave Jumpstart smiling and feeling fulfilled. 

~Faith Ferber

Corps member

Opportunity

1st Day in the Classroom

                  This past week was my team’s first Jumpstart Session and you could feel the excitement and nervousness in the air!  We didn’t know how the kids would react to the Jumpstart curriculum or even how many kids would actually be there; because my team does Jumpstart as an aftercare it is a surprise every time to see how many of our children will be there that day , especially in inclement weather.  But we pushed our nervousness aside and made our way to the school, gathered our supplies and headed to the classroom with a thousand thoughts running through our head.  “Would the children respond to us? Would they enjoy circle and center time? Would we have to break up an altercation in dramatic play today?

However once we hit the classroom all of those thoughts disappeared. The children were genuinely happy that we were there and were so excited to get started and ready to learn with their Jumpstart buddies. The children enjoyed every activity that we did that day from reading to dramatic play.  Everyone was engaged and genuinely enjoying their first day of Jumpstart, including the corps members!  And that’s when I really realized why I chose to work with Jumpstart this year.  Working with Jumpstart, doing sessions, and spending time influencing and being influenced by the children is priceless.  Jumpstart has given me the ability to lose myself, my worries and the stress of college life for a couple hours; giving me something to look forward to all week.   I know that every day in Jumpstart won’t be all sunshine and rainbows but those days where the sun makes it through will make this experience worthwhile in the end.

~Jasmine Hardy
Corps member
Team Learning

The Day has almost come

After a month of training and preparing, the day has almost come. Next week, my Jumpstart team will head to our site for the first time and begin working with the kids. I am extremely excited. We have been working hard, practicing with our books, creating materials, and decorating out J is for Jumpstart books for our kids. These books were extremely fun to make, even though I am not an artist. I found some great stickers and am extremely pleased with how the books turned out. I can’t wait to give them to my students next week. Meeting the group of kids that I will be working with for the rest of the year is something I have been looking forward to since I first signed on to volunteer for this great program. Through Jumpstart, I have the tools and the nerve to help these children be as ready as possible for their entrance to kindergarten. I know the work I will be doing is very important, and may shape the rest of these children’s educations. It is a daunting amount of responsibility, but I know that Jumpstart will help me throughout the entire process along with my excellent team members. It may take a few sessions to get the hang of it, but our team is committed to these students. Even though I have not yet begun the most important part of my work with Jumpstart, I know that I am a part of something special.

 ~Lucy S.

Corps member

Team Courage

 

Getting Started with Jumpstart

 I haven’t yet begun sessions at the school I’ve been assigned to, but I couldn’t be more excited to begin. When talking about Jumpstart to my friends, I’m started referring to my future partner children as ‘my kids’ – “I get to hang out with the same kids, my kids, every week, all year! How cool is that?!” I have considerable experience when working with children, and I’ve seen firsthand the malleability of their minds and the strength of their will. There are so many personal connections that I’ve created with them that have proved both healing and constructive. With an entire year with these kids, my kids, I know that the connections forged will be strong and lasting

 When hearing about Federal Work Study students working tedious desk jobs making coffee and stuffing envelopes, I feel so lucky to be wearing this bright red shirt. Of course, I know that Jumpstart will come with its own challenges; I can already anticipate the sting of panic and embarrassment as a child has a meltdown, a Center Time activity falls apart, or a fight breaks out. I feel nervous about juggling the stress of school and other responsibilities with the time commitment of Jumpstart. As a Corps Member, it is my responsibility to quiet the static and focus on the child during session, pushing aside what preoccupies me usually; I want to hone in on the child’s troubles, happiness, and story. When I work on Jumpstart with my hair pulled back, armed with glitter glue and safety scissors, I feel powerful and important because I am achieving something and changing my part of the world. 

 ~Aya Folk

Corps member

Team Compassion

This I believe

I firmly believe Jumpstart widens your perspective and makes you think about your place in the world in a whole new way.

I’m right now fresh off my first “real” session (my first after the classroom observation). Even with all the training I had done, I was still worrying that things would go wrong before arriving at the school. Within minutes after showing up, my mindset changed. The kids were so excited to start, even going over name-cards was a fun time. All that excitement did made reading Oonga Boonga a little difficult....but hey, who can blame them? Jumpstart really does make these kid’s day. The excitement I saw on their faces made waking up at 7:30 a.m (the earliest I woke up in a long while..) and hustling over to the metro stop completely worth it. As the session moved on and center time began, I was again surprised by the sheer level of enthusiasm some of the students had for what I imagined in my head, to be boring activities. How fun could an alphabet puzzle be anyway right? Wrong. My small group of three were so thrilled to complete it that they were fighting over who could find the next letter! These kids made me realize just how truly exciting the little things in life could be. If only adults could appreciate and get so much out of what seem like every day activities like constructing a puzzle or matching letters of the alphabet.

After witnessing this reaction from the students, I could not help but realize the awesome role I played in these kids day. By facilitating the activities in Jumpstart I directly contributed to improving the student’s love of learning and general appreciation of life. Next time I roll over to hit the alarm in the morning, it won’t be so tough to get out of bed. 

~Joseph Shaw

Corps member

Team Dedication

The Night Before It All Begins

Here I am.

Getting ready to begin my last team meeting before the sessions for the year begin.

Our materials are ready, popsicle sticks sorted and posters decorated. Our Jumpstart t-shirts are washed, probably the cleanest they'll ever be. All we're missing are the kids.

It's going to be a learning curve for each and every one of us, but I'm completely confident that the second we walk into that door, and see a classroom full of children wondering who we are, we'll be able to step up to the challenge. I'm ready for a little laughter, maybe a little screaming, and a lot of learning. Whether I come home tomorrow covered in paint, marker, or somehow completely clean, it will all be a part of the adventure. And, if any of us get nervous, the only words we have to remember will be...

Oonga Boonga!

~Kaylee Mchugh
Team Leader
Team Dedication

Why do you want to do Jumpstart?

I am doing Jumpstart because when I first applied to American University I knew I wanted to be apart of a organization that makes a difference. Considering all the clubs at AU it would be an easy task, during orientation I walked up to the Jumpstart booth and I knew this was the first organization I wanted to be apart of. Junior year I worked with 6^th graders as a volunteer art teacher and I loved it and this was something similar but on a much larger scale. My excitement has only escalated to start doing projects. Although it is a huge undertaking I look forward to working with Stacia and all the other volunteers this year! ~Sophie Chen

I am doing Jumpstart because I did it last year and it was a great experience. I feel like it will be a lot different than last year due to the fact that I’ve been through it and I am confident in my abilities. Now, I don’t have to worry about learning the material. I am familiar with the curriculum and I can take it one step further. I know what works and what does not work for me. I can focus solely on the children and my team. Last year, I was concerned with finding the right balance for myself. I was learning and it was a bit overwhelming at times. Now, my expectations are different and it will all be about improving the skills I gained from Jumpstart. I’m also excited about sharing my experience with the new Corps Member and helping them find their way. I want them to love Jumpstart as much as I do and I hope to play a role in that.

-Iraj Masud

I am doing Jumpstart because I want to help children learn. Working with kids inspires me to be a stronger person, and to pass on my knowledge to the next generation. These children are our future and they need to know how important they are, not only to themselves but to everyone around them.

-Judith Snyder-Rothman

They laugh

Every time I tell a person that I do Jumpstart because I love working with tiny humans – they laugh. I’m being completely serious though, every child, even infants, have distinct personalities that only develop as they get older. With my class last year, I could answer who was the class clown, the socialite, the mouse, the natural leader, or the pot-stirrer. Even after half an hour with some of my new students I can tell who loves to share their knowledge, get attention, or wiggle around. The best thing I could see was that these kids love to read, and it’s not the this-is-the-hundreth-time-I’m-reading-this-book-because-it’s-my-favorite kind of excitement. They love to read because their teachers are consistently making it something fun. That makes my job so much better. My tiny humans will be so much more enthusiastic. It doesn’t matter if they wiggle or they talk about their dogs and baby cousins, by the time my team and I leave, they’ll love reading all the more.


Amalia Mendoza
Corps member
Team Inspiration

Outnumbered

            The look the children gave today were priceless.  When four members of Team Connection, including myself, walked into the classroom earlier this morning, the children all looked confused.  Their faces said it all: “Who are these strange looking people in red?”  When the teacher said, “Friends, we have more friends to welcome today,” the children looked even more confused. 

The four of us were outnumbered greatly and were missing our team leader: the only member who actually worked for Jumpstart last year, the only member who had the slightest clue of what to do.  Yes, we all went through hours upon hours of training, but there exists a strong difference between what is taught in training and what is actually experienced in the classroom.  From the moment we stepped off the Metro and into the street to the moment we walked into the classroom, all I felt was butterflies.  But the instant we walked through that doorway and into the classroom, the butterflies flew away; I felt that this was the moment I have been waiting for: the moment to finally make a difference.

Standing before the thirty-some students were four new adults whom they’ve never seen before.  They were intimidated.  They were shy.  We did not get the warm “JUMPSTART” welcome.  What we got though, was a group of intrigued children.  After the shyness faded away, the students were as rowdy as promised.  The children all huddled around the four of us as their teacher attempted to read Oonga Boonga. 

“Your shoes are tight!”

“You have glasses!” “Why do you have glasses?”

“You have short hair!”

“You’re white! I’ve never seen a white person before!”

Questions and statements were coming from all directions as the children tried to find out more about us.  “Are you going out on the playground with us,” the children asked as they finished the book.  The children looked sad when we told them we have to go back to our school, but at the same time, they looked excited to see us again.  We will definitely be welcomed with “JUMPSTART!!!!” next time.

-Chris Meehan

Team Connection

Corps member

Small but necesary

Anxiously shifting from foot to foot, I heard the rise and fall of children chattering, laughing, and arguing in the classroom. I attended more than sixteen hours of training and yet introducing myself to these four-year-olds felt like standing on a high-dive with a fear of heights. The moment I entered the classroom though, this fear evaporated.

One boy threw his hands in the air and cheered when during introductions. He only cheered for the women and the teacher laughed, calling him a “ladies man.” We arrived as the students cleaned the play area. Initially we stood pressed against the wall, uncomfortably adjusting our Jumpstart shirts. Feeling a little cowardly – and useless – I began to help the children clean.  Immediately ten swarmed, with this uncontainable energy. I crouched to their level and felt this energy flow through me.

We counted play money; I helped differentiate between the fives, tens, twenties, and hundreds and asked what each student would buy with this money. “A dog!” cried one. “Shoes!” remarked another. I felt as ease, the unexpected simplicity of these interactions calming my nerves.

During Circle Time, the teacher read Oonga Boonga. One child who sat beside me sighed, remarking that teacher read this yesterday and she felt bored. As the teacher reconstructed the book and asked questions, I noticed the same few spoke and received praise. Students like the girl beside me sat quietly, with little attention to the book. Others disrupted the reading and as result, faced reprimanding from the teacher. This highlighted the significance of Jumpstart; the children hear their name in a positive context and receive individualized attention, and we as Corps members, feel like a small but necessary part of this opportunity.

~Ellery Spahr

Corps member

Team Connection

Why do you want to do Jumpstart?

I want to do Jumpstart to further help the community I am now living in. At home I completed service with organizations such as the YMCA, the Robin Hood Foundation, Girl Scouts, at my High School and work. Working at the YMCA as a counselor for 2 years after volunteering for 4 has made me love working with children and seeing them grow. Although the children are a bit older than the Jumpstart kids it is a way to serve and continue part of my old life in my new life. The Robin Hood Foundation, a charity with a similar message to Jumpstart, improves the living community and allows for children to have an education and life they wouldn’t have had while living in some of the most dangerous areas of New York City. Seeing this first hand and filming videos to share with the donors has further influenced me to continue to help others. When going to the Jumpstart table at orientation I knew it was the place for me, the idea of benefiting children that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity is amazing to be part of. Just in the first few days of being a corps. member I know it is a place for me to learn and be inspired. Service is a great part of my life and I look forward to working with all the Corps. members!
Love Alexandra (Alex) Fraioli


I am doing Jumpstart probably for the same reason everyone else does Jumpstart, I love kids. I have a lot of younger children in my family. That time spent babysitting them helped me discover that I like working with kids; however, it is not simply my enjoyment of children that motivates me to pursue this job. I have always thought that children, especially those from low-income households, need the opportunity to be exposed to positive role models. From personal experience, I know that a lot of them may not have a healthy role model at home to look up to. I come from a similar socio-economic background and the programs in my community similar to Jumpstart had a profound impact on me without a doubt. What I remember most from those programs were the volunteers or staff members that were in high school or closer to my age than the administrators. I looked up to them when I did not have anybody at home to look up to. I also think it is crucial to introduce the idea of college as early as possible. As the first member of my family to pursue a college degree, I can recognize the importance of encouragement and guidance when a child is deciding what to do in their future. I would like to give other children the opportunity to feel valued so, when the time comes, they will feel prepared and know that college is an option for them if they so choose. –Belen Flores

I have been working with children for the past 5 summers and it has truly been a rewarding experience. To know that you have been a positive influence on a child’s growth and development is amazing. While working with the youth I have had many experiences which I cherish immensely but what I’ve always wanted to do that I haven’t had many opportunities to do with children is enhance their early academic skills. Due to the fact that I worked at summer camps I was rarely assigned activities to do with the children that were geared toward education. When I had the opportunity I would try to implement activities of my own, which were fruitful in the end, but there was something missing. That thing was a team of likeminded individuals with the same goal as me: to enlighten and open the minds of children. Jumpstart is the place where I can meet these likeminded individuals, and I am excited to begin work with them and get Jumpstarts goal accomplished. ~Wesley Williams

I got the email telling me about JumpStart over the summer and right away it caught my eye. I’m doing Jumpstart largely because have always loved working with children since I helped my mom in her own preschool classroom back in my hometown. To be able to do that while helping those in low-income families made me very excited to be a part of the JumpStart program. Also being a part of JumpStart helps me get involved in more off campus activities and to be a larger part of the D.C community unlike some of the other internships at American. ~Brittney Thompson

Getting Started

Hi! I’m Maria Lewis, a freshman at American University and a Corps Member in Team Kindness for Jumpstart DC! I’m SUPER excited to start my first session and hope everything goes smoothly the first couple of weeks. I can’t wait to go to Appletree Institute Public Charter School with my team and meet everyone there! These kids are going to be so cute and so eager to learn, which I’m so pumped about! I have been constantly practicing reading our first core storybook, Oonga Boonga by Frieda Wishinsky, so I’ll have it down to a science for my first session. I’m making sure I include all of the vocabulary we need to teach the children and allow room for them to add their own input and ask questions. I really hope they understand the book after reading it for enjoyment and for reconstruction since it conveys a nice meaning of family.

This week since my team does not have observations we will be able to get a lot of materials done and get more time to work on our “J is for Jumpstart” books. We have been working so hard making our materials, and we are really proud about them! The theme for most of our materials is kids movies and is focused on certain characters. So far we have minions from Despicable Me, Nemo from Finding Nemo, Violet from The Incredibles, Mater from Cars, Sully and Mike from Monsters University, Heimlich from A Bug’s Life, Wall-e, and Russell from Up. We’re obsessed!! We’re even singing along to Disney songs while we work! We are all doing our part to make this year so enjoyable for the kids and for ourselves. We hope they get excited to see our materials and us. It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks, and a great year! I can’t wait to get started!!

~Maria Lewis
Team Kindess
Corps member

Mini Everything

Mini everything.  Those two words are all I could think of as we entered the classroom today for classroom observations-- mini chairs, mini desks, with mini people and mini fingers.  It was hard to not get caught up in how adorable they were! Especially with those huge backpacks that extend to the floor.

After a couple of minutes of cooing, my team reminded ourselves of the task at hand, and inspected the classroom with a Jumpstart lens.  Scouting out possible cribs for Baby Louise, finding an area where primary colors could do the least damage, confining a space for “Let’s Find Out About It,” became our mission.  Being able to visualize the events we had learned so much about in training was a huge excitement for my team and me.  We still have our fears (three year olds are surprisingly intimidating), but today’s classroom observations were a huge assurance to imagine the Jumpstart program that we will be pulling off next week!

My anxiety for Session One has been transformed into pure excitement, especially after we were able to meet our class of eager students. Just in the couple of minutes we spoke to them, the pupils were inquisitive, interactive, and radiating with personality. At first glance, it was easy to see them as mini. But after some time in the classroom, I knew that the growth they would experience this year would not be mini at all.  I am eager for to begin Jumpstart sessions, and be able to witness this growth as the year progresses!

~Deborah Carey
Corps member
Team Opportunity 

The First Day

The day was already off to an inauspicious start, I woke up late, didn’t eat breakfast, went to the wrong room, and, on top of it all, I was having a bad hair day. Now some people may say that with my four inches of hair it is near impossible for me to have bad hair, but I, along with most other boys in the world, can attest that bad hair is an actual thing for guys. By some act of God, I made it on time; I even snagged a seat next to someone I actually knew. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, after all if you aren’t nervous for your first day of training you are either a God or a lair. I was actually so nervous that I had to occupy my hands with something; unfortunately that something happened to be 5 large cups of coffee. But just as I was going to get up and go to the bathroom for the umpteenth time, my nervousness went away. In fact I was greeted by smiling children on the screen. Then I noticed the smiling faces of my fellow Corps members, the subtle aroma of coffee in the room, and the familiar voice of my site manager. I started to think that this seemingly impossible 8 hour training session could actually be fun. To my surprise, I was right! I do not know if it were the Jimmy Fallon videos shown, beat boxing with friends during quad singing sessions, or playing with Play doh, but the day was not just bearable, it was fun. As I write these words, thinking about my career with Jumpstart so far, I could not be more excited for the next training session, and for the countless other Jumpstart experiences I will inevitably have.



~Ryan Chun

Corps member

Team Compassion