Hoover Intergenerational Care

Jumpstart Program Overview

​

Jumpstart engages dedicated, trained adults who are interested in providing language and literacy support to small groups of preschool children through yearlong relationships and consistent delivery of Jumpstart sessions in program partner classrooms. The majority of Jumpstart Corps members nationwide are students at our higher education partner campuses, such as USC. Others are community members from a variety of sectors who participate in Jumpstart through our city-based Community Corps program. While Jumpstart Corps members serve for a minimum of one academic year, Jumpstart provides them with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in classrooms and communities, gaining invaluable experience that not only increases early childhood knowledge but also builds awareness of community and social issues that impact young children. This experience fosters personal growth and learning, preparing them to become future educators and champions of early childhood education.

​

During the regular school year, teams of Jumpstart Corps members engage a classroom of preschool children in a two-hour Jumpstart session twice a week. Through Jumpstart sessions, teams deliver a curriculum based on Jumpstart's three language and literacy domains: oral language, books and print knowledge, and phonological awareness. Each Corps member is paired with approximately three to four children and supports these partner children directly through select session elements, sharing responsibility for supporting the larger classroom of children during other parts of the Jumpstart session.