Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Jumpstart recruits caring adults to work with preschool-age children on language, literacy, and social-emotional skills.

There is a social readiness crisis in America, largely due to a disparity in early learning experiences. A report by the Packard and MacArhur foundations found that the average child growing up in a middle-class family has been exposed to between 1,000 and 1,700 hours of one-to-one picture book reading. The average child growing up in a low-income family has only been exposed to 25 hours of one-to-one reading (McQuillan, 1998). Jumpstart helps to provide preschoolers with access to high-quality preschool experiences that promote language and literacy skills to prepare them for later school success.

Jumpstart Fullerton is an AmeriCorps program that pairs college students, called Corps Members, with preschool children to build language, literacy, and social skills necessary to succeed not just in school, but also in life. Jumpstart Corps Members serve 12-15 hours a week with local early childhood centers supporting children and families. Each year, one in three children enters kindergarten without the language, literacy, and social skills to succeed. As Jumpstart Corps Member, you can help close this gap, all while gaining valuable training and experience with children in a classroom setting, connecting to campus in a meaningful way, and to help prepare our youngest learners for lifelong success!

As a Corps member, you will:

• Work with local preschools in under-resourced communities
• Complete your internship/earn academic course credit
• Gain professional training in the field of early childhood education
• Work with preschool children on reading, writing and social skills.
• Earn your Federal Work Study award (if eligible)
• Earn an education award of at least $1,200 (if eligible)
• Make an impact on the community!

Get involved!

For consideration for the 2023-24 cohort, students must be available at one of the following times each week:

• Mondays and Wednesdays, 8am - 1pm
• Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8am-1pm
• Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12-5pm

Additionally, students   must enroll   in a specific Child and Adolescent Studies course during the Fall and Spring semesters which will be held on Mondays from 5:00pm-6:50pm or 6-7:50pm depending on prerequisites.  

For more information and to apply, visit   www.jstart.org/apply   or contact Amy Nica at   amnica@fullerton.edu   or (657) 278-4406.

Cal State Fullerton's Jumpstart program receives generous support from the CSUF Jumpstart Student Association