Jumpstart Fresno, within the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, will kick off its program year Monday, Oct. 7 with 90 Fresno State students entering 18 preschool classrooms across Fresno County. They will begin their service providing support in language, literacy and social emotional programming to underserved communities.
Jumpstart Fresno is entering its 23rd year at Fresno State. It has long-standing partnerships with local preschool organizations such as: Stone Soup Fresno, Reading and Beyond, Head Start 0 to 5 and the Huggins Early Education Center. This year, in particular, is a milestone for the program that has grown from averaging 70 Fresno State students to now enrolling 90 students in service.
Jumpstart partners with AmeriCorps to support students’ academic success. Each Jumpstart member sets a goal of 300 service hours within the program, to earn the Segal Education Award funded by AmeriCorps. This award is earned at the completion of service to aid students in educational expenses. Each member is eligible for earning up to $1,565 to repay student loans or future education expenses.
“Working with Jumpstart as a team leader and a previous Corps member, I have been given an amazing opportunity to grow and blossom as an individual,” said team leader Penelope Moreno. “Jumpstart provides an experience like no other. Since being in the program, Jumpstart has provided me with the experience and knowledge needed to help me succeed in my future career goals as a K- 8 educator and allows me to facilitate a team that I can help grow.”
Jumpstart Fresno gets additional support from several departments on campus, including: Division of Academic Affairs, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and Faculty Affairs.
(Story by Kendall Rasmussen)
