General Information

Jumpstart is a national non profit program that pairs college students in one-on-one relationships with preschoolers from low-income communities.  Jumpstart's mission is to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. 

College students, called "Corps Members" attend Jumpstart sessions twice per week, implementing lesson plans that focus on language, literacy, and social skills.  Through one-to-one relationships, Corps Members work to prepare their preschool partner children for Kindergarten, utilizing principles of intrinsic motivation and learning through play.

Because Jumpstart is an Americorps program, Corps Members are required to complete 300 hours of service over the school year.  This translates to about 10-12 hours per week. Upon completion of these hours, all Corps Members recieve a $1,000 education award from Americorps.  This award can be used for tuition, loans, books, or other educational expenses.

Corps Members who are eligible for Federal Work Study receive $12 per hour for their work in the program.  Volunteers are also encouraged to apply and are eligible to receive the $1,000 bonus award upon completion of service.

Jumpstart sessions occur twice per week at the following times:

Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30pm-5:30pm
Mondays and Wednesdays 3:00pm-6:00pm

Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30pm-5:30pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00pm-6:00pm

Corps Members are also required to complete 4 hours of Classroom Assistance Time each week.  These 4 hours are very flexible and can be completed at an time within the hours of operation of each preschool.

In addition, Corps Members can complete Individual Planning hours on evenings and weekends.  These hours consist of creating classroom and teaching materials for preschool children.

For more information, please contact:

Brittany Oliver
Jumpstart Site Manager
e-mail: jstart@gwu.edu
phone: (202)994-0833