Spontaneous ungrounded excitement

          My jumpstart session started out by entering the room and realizing that one of my children was absent.  I turned this into a positive, realizing that it was an opportunity to capitalize on the one-on-one time my other partner child and I would now be allowed.  Moments into snack time (even before we start with name recognition and letter comprehension) my partner child’s mom walked in and I knew this was a sign that I would not have any time with my partner child because he would be leaving early. 

          I thought that this would be okay because I would have the chance to talk to my partner child’s parent while my partner child was putting on his jacket.  Usually I do not get this opportunity because I am in dramatic play and feel guilty if I abandon the children in dramatic play in order talk to this parent when she picks up her child.  As I made my move towards the cubbies (through the obstacle course of tiny children getting their snack and going the bathroom to wash their hands) my partner child’s parent did a perfect yin yang rotation dance towards the bathroom on the side of the room I was on.   She called my partner child over to go the bathroom and as I tried to back track to that side of the room, I could see my window of opportunity closing because the teacher of the classroom moved towards my partner child’s parent.  I was trying to send a telepathic message. “Wait. Please, this is my one chance,” but apparently we were on a different frequency because I was the only one that heard that message.  I understood that the teacher probably had just as much need, or more, to talk to the parent, but I still wanted my time so I moved to the cubbies in order to get in a couple of words before she left.

            After her child went the bathroom I brought over the jacket and back pack of my partner child (as extra insurance to make sure I could at least say hi and that way, if I was holding something, then hopefully no one would see empty hands and think that I wanted something to do). She thanked me for getting the coat and bag and then I asked her how her child did on his evaluation for “big kid school” as he called it.  The week before, I had been entering Project Hope as they were leaving and she had said that her child was going to be observed to see if he was ready for school.  As we began to talk, she lit up when I asked if he enjoyed it and if she had gotten the results yet.

          She was beaming when she said he was in level three; this is what sparked my spontaneous excitement.  A smile sprang on my face immediately, even thought I had no idea what level three meant.  Her joy was contagious and allowed me to smile, without worry of level three being not up to par or below expectations.  She told me that next time she picks up her child she will bring the evaluation sheet with her to show me the comments the evaluator made and I felt honored for her to have the trust in me to share this information.  So, although my spontaneous excitement was ungrounded, in that I did not know what level three was, I felt amazing after hearing the information and the negative feelings of not having a partner child for the day where eradicated by the news.

Ian Driscoll

Something I Will Carry With Me Forever

The Changes through this year

Through the weeks of the school year and the many sessions we have had, we made it through the first semester and survived winter season all to say that as Jumpstart is coming to an end it all went by like a blur. The children in our classroom are so excited during center and circle times it's unbelievable that they can have so much fun while learning. The other night our team had team bonding in the resource center and we each created something for our partner children. Welcome during session is advancing again as we are now introducing a writing utencil and paper (or dry erase marker and whiteboards) and most children have been ready for this next step for a while and it's evidently seen in the way they express their understanding for the sounds and letters in their name. The improvements are remarkable and hopefully will continue strong through the end of the year

Kyle

What an Improvement!

I have three partner children; however, since the sessions before Christmas, I have only had Marcus. The issue was not that my partner children were no longer involved in Jumpstart but that my children just get picked up earlier. I did not know what to do because I did not want to question parents and make them feel uncomfortable or make them feel like they needed to change their life schedule for Jumpstart. I stuck it out for the next several sessions, but I was still working with Marcus. One Friday session, I saw another one of my partner children. I was so happy to see her, but before “Welcome” time started, she was out the door. I spoke with her family member and told them I missed Liah in our Jumpstart sessions. I explained how well she had improved in learning the letter sounds and the corresponding letters. Liah and her guardian were so happy. Liah hugged me, giggled, and waved goodbye. I was almost satisfied but something else needed to be done.

 I decided to write a letter to the families of my partner children that I had consistently not seen since December. In my letter, I spoke highly of my children; I wrote about their accomplishments and I asked if they were reading their books I sent home to them from Christmas. On Wednesday I put my letters into their boxes and by Friday I had all my partner children attending again. My partner children worked so well together and we had an amazing session. All my children were so interested in the book that I noticed other children watching us in amazement. I guess my group distracted a lot of the other groups because they were just as excited as I was. When Liah left, I spoke with her mother and asked if she received the letter I left in Liah’s cubby.  Her mother responded and said that Liah made her read my letter over and over again. She told me Liah should know the letter word for word now. I was so happy that I was able to work with all three of my partner children again and that the parents were partners with me in ensuring I could help their children during our sessions from now on.

Tasheka Nelson

My Most Memorable Moment So Far This Year

As a second year corps member, I have personally seen countless achievements by the children in Jumpstart. So far this year, Jumpstart has given me many opportunities and millions of unforgettable memories. My most memorable moment so far this year would definitely be when one of my partner children’s moms emailed me. This email made my day! She told me how thankful she was for having me in her son’s life and how she has already seen an improvement with him. She was also ecstatic to say that her son always talks about families and that he never spoke about families before we worked together. Since I am able to email back and forth with his mother, I get to hear about all of the things I helped her son learn. This truly makes me feel amazing. I love working with children and watching them grow and learn. It is especially rewarding to get positive feedback on my work. It really proves to me that I am doing a great and meaningful service for these children. It makes me so blissful to know that I am touching the lives of these children through songs, reading, poems, and play, and that their parents recognize their child’s growth.

Lynndsay Holden

It was fate!!

There are times when the impulsive side of me completely takes over. The feelings in the pit of my stomach cannot be ignored or subdued and often times lead me in one direction. The first time I even heard the words Jumpstart at our first year seminar, my gut basically screamed at me. When the speakers spoke about how the corps members spend a significant amount of time helping the children who really need it, they might as well have been talking directly to me. Throughout my life, I have always jumped at the opportunity to help and this time was no different. It seemed as if Jumpstart chose me. The next day when my freshman class started picking classes, I signed up for Jumpstart with Hilary. If I could go back and change my decision, I wouldn’t. Seeing these children, who I have come to care so very much about, grow and learn every moment I’m with them makes me feel like I’ve made the right decision. Those children and their laughter and excitement are what get me out of bed every morning. I know that I’m helping, in some way, and I feel like I was meant to be here.  I’m not one to mess with fate.

Kris

An achievement of my partner child

At the beginning of the year, one of my partner children had a hard time paying attention during welcome and reading. She would get out of her seat at our assigned table and sit with other groups. During reading, she would look around the room at what other students were taking part in. I began to worry that she was never going to get a beneficial experience at welcome. I decided to give each of my children a sticker at the end of welcome and reading to reward them for their acceptable behavior. All three children responded to this system very well. The child that started off the year running around and not paying attention was now sitting in her seat and making comments about the books we were reading! One day, she even noticed that her name, and the child’s name next to hers, “both had two a's in them!” I was so proud and this semester she has really taken hold of paying attention and getting everything she can out of reading and welcome.

Kayla Sharpe

Why Jumpstart?

               There are many different reasons why people join Jumpstart. I think it is safe to say that everyone in Jumpstart loves working with children, but there must also be something else because anyone who has been a part of Jumpstart can tell you it’s a huge commitment and becomes a large part of your daily life. I have heard a number of different reasons from my fellow team members. Some reasons are similar, but I have found for the most part that these reasons are very individualized to the person and also very heartfelt.

            I had a lot of reasons why I choose to join Jumpstart as a sophomore who wasn’t a member her freshman year. My freshman year I had HGD field placement. The first semester my placement was at Project Hope, one of the Jumpstart sites. Often while I was there, there would also be a few members of the Project Hope Jumpstart team doing their C.A.T. Right away I found out that I loved working with this age group. Each week the children were changing, growing, and learning so much. It was amazing to witness it. Since it was field placement, I was only required to spend three hours a week in the preschool. Field placement became the highlight of my week, so three hours a week wasn’t cutting it: I knew I wanted more time with the children. I became a tiny bit jealous that the Jumpstart members got to spend so much more time with the children. To make my jealousy worse, two of my best friends were both part of Jumpstart. They would always talk about their partner children. You could see how close of a bond they were able to form with the children only a few months into school. Over the year I not only heard about the influence they were having on their children, but I saw the influence their children were having on them. It was amazing to see how much doing Jumpstart had impacted their lives.

As if that wasn’t enough motivation to join, I thought about my own early experiences with school. Since the first day of preschool I have always had a really hard time in school. I remember that learning anything seemed to take me so much longer than most of the other children. I remembered how frustrating it was trying to write my name. Unfortunately, I was a shy and quiet child in a large classroom with only two teachers. While I was struggling to keep up, they were struggling to keep children from climbing up the walls. My struggles with learning continued as I moved forward into kindergarten; I was already behind most of my classmates. In third grade I still had a kindergarten reading level. I hated school; it was embarrassing that I was so far behind everyone else. By the end of third grade I was diagnosed with a learning disability. Although most of my difficulties in school were caused by a learning disability, I wondered what my school experience would have been like if had been ready for kindergarten. That’s one of the reasons I think Jumpstart is so important. The individual attention the children get from the program is what really makes the program a success. Many children would not get the attention they need, if it wasn’t for their Jumpstart corps member. In being a part of Jumpstart I hoped that I would able to make at least one child’s first steps into learning and education a positive experience.

            I believe it is important for you to think back on how you originally came to join Jumpstart every once in a while, especially when Jumpstart is losing a bit of its positive feeling: when you can’t seem to be on the same page as your partner child, or the time commitment seems to overwhelming, or when your team is going through a struggle. Maybe even share your reasons with a fellow teammate or a friend. Although our reasons for joining Jumpstart may be different, they all are equally important and I hope that you will find that reflecting on why you choose to be a part of Jumpstart will help pull you through the tough times and help you to see what really matters.

Jenn V

Let the Game Begin

A few months ago my team and I were brainstorming ideas for team bonding when one member volunteered her house for a BBQ. Even though it was the middle of November, the BBQ still worked out perfectly. We took the T and arrived at her house around 1pm. While we waited for the final preparations of the food, we all watched T.V. When the food was finally ready we sat around the table and ate to our heart’s desire. The food was very delicious thanks to our team member, her brother, and her mom. After we filled our bellies, we played a game: Apples to Apples. I have never played this game before, so I was a bit skeptical about playing. However, as I observed and listened to the rules I got the hang of it and ended up having beginner's luck by being the one with the most green cards! We left around 4, since a team member had to be back for an event, and even on the train ride back to school, we continued to laugh about the inside jokes we made while playing the game.

Heather MacDonald

Why I chose Jumpstart

I am sure there are many reasons why students at Wheelock College wish to participate in Jumpstart. I was unsure whether I was ready for the time commitment and responsibility of being a corps member. However, once I truly understood what the program was about, I knew it was something I wished to be involved in. It is a great way to give back to the community and be a positive leader in a child's life. This semester has showed me that I made the right decision in joining Jumpstart. The children make me so happy and I truly feel that I am enhancing their literacy skills along with being there for them when they need it.

Kayla Sharpe 

Why I joined Jumpstart

I was first interested in Jumpstart because I knew that participating in a classroom setting would enlighten for me the intensity with which I want to be a teacher.  I found that this opportunity would also allow me insights as to whether I would like to work in the city or out in the suburbs.  I had already worked with Jumpstart-age children during my senior year of high school every other day, and it was very enjoyable to play with the children each day at recess and see their progress in their academics throughout the year.  Although Jumpstart was a much greater time commitment and responsibility, I felt that I was ready to accept the challenge and was hopeful that I could benefit at least one child’s school experience during my time in Jumpstart.  When I was informed that the Jumpstart corps members work with children and families of a less favorable socio-economic status than average, I felt a greater connection to the mission of Jumpstart.  I understand the inherent disadvantages starting any task or journey without the same means as others.  I applied to join Jumpstart because I felt that it would allow me an opportunity to help children be prepared for school and be prepared to handle any obstacles that life delivers to them.  I hope that my experience will allow me to acquire a better understanding of the qualities I have that can be used to benefit people’s lives.

Ian Driscoll

Ruggles Tuesday- Friday!!!

Since the last blog entry, our team (Ruggles Tuesday-Friday) has had two new kids join the preschool and the Jumpstart program. We have moved from the theme of family on to the theme of friends in our session plans. We have been reading books, like The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, A Letter to Amy, and Hooray, a Piñata! The children have loved all of them as witnessed through their play. The children express their understanding of the concept of friendship most often in dramatic play. We have moved on from developing alphabet knowledge through the exploration of name cards to the actual sounds of letters. This is working well so far and is something that adapts to the children’s increasing learning level. We hope the great progress continues throughout the year!

Kyle Wardwell

Why I chose to be apart of Jumpstart…

         When I first applied to Wheelock College, I had no idea what Jumpstart was. After sitting in on an information session, I fell in love with the program. Ever since I was twelve years old, I have been working with children. I started off as a babysitter near my house and then I began to work at a preschool when I was a freshman in High School. Jumpstart gave me the opportunity to continue doing what I love most, working with children, while also giving me the chance to volunteer and give back to my community. I love how Jumpstart reaches out to the children and families that don’t always have the resources needed to prepare children to succeed in school. After doing Jumpstart last year, I witnessed my partner children learn how to spell and write their own names in such a short time period. Being able to see how much what we do benefits the children we work with is so amazing and I cannot wait to help so many more children in this way. Jumpstart has not only confirmed that I want to continue to teach preschool age children, but it has also helped me develop myself as a whole. I cannot wait to come back from winter break!

Lynndsay Holden

Prince Roberto and his R

Once upon a time, in the far away land of Ellen Jackson, a little prince named Roberto had a hard time identifying letters. Each letter first received the guess of ‘G’ or ‘A’. The problem was, in fact, that he was just guessing. His fairy-god-teachers, along with myself, his Jumpstart-sidekick, have been working on spelling his name with him. He can now identify his ‘R’ with ease, exclaiming with joy whenever he sees it. Hearing Roberto correctly identify his R for the first time sent shivers down my spine. I couldn’t contain my excitement; I was so proud of him. Not only can he now recognize the letter, but he is beginning to realize that his ‘R’ makes the ‘errrr’ sound, like a growling tiger. This fairytale is a non-fiction story with no end in sight, for this child will never stop improving and will never stop learning.

Kristin Fagan

About Crispus Attucks and Our Team

My team’s preschool is the Crispus Attucks Children Center located in Dorchester. It is a pretty long trip to travel there, but is well worth it. Crispus Attucks is the second largest provider of infant, toddler, and preschool care in Boston. It is definitely the biggest preschool I have ever seen. There are around 200 children at the center ranging from one month to six years old. Crispus Attucks has been around for almost thirty years. There are two huge buildings. One building is used for mostly the infants and toddlers, while the other building is used for preschool-age children. The buildings contain fifteen classrooms, a playground, a kitchen, a gym, and computers in every classroom. There are around sixty-five teachers and staff members. All of the staff members are very welcoming and friendly. The teachers also know each other very well and seem to have made a very close community and support group for each other. Our team has seven corps members, plus our team leader Melissa Ferragamo. The corps members are Sarah Fenty, Keveisha Robinson-Clark, Vanessa Lugo, Caroline Listernick, Sarah Willey, Chelsea Szalanski, and of course, me, Jenn Vigue. We have all enjoyed our first few weeks at Crispus Attucks. We have started to get to know our classroom teachers, Mrs. Jones and Ms. Ella, quite well. Both teachers have worked at the preschool for a very long time. Although my team has a lot of different personalities and a lot of differences, we all seem to have fallen in love with the children in our classroom.

-Jenn

Why I chose to be a part of Jumpstart

I first heard about Jumpstart last semester when I transferred. All I knew about the program was that college students work with preschoolers on their reading and literacy skills. I also learned that the preschools the students go to are in lower-income neighborhoods. These facts that I heard from other students who are a part of Jumpstart made me want to find out more. So I set up a meeting with Hilary (the site manager at my college), and she informed me more of what Jumpstart is all about. As I learned more about this wonderful program, I wanted to get more involved. I love working with preschoolers, and especially children who have a lower-income status, because then I know that I can really make a difference. I wanted to sacrifice and commit my time to these children to teach them how to read and to build upon their skills. I was looking forward to working with other college students as well. I wanted to build upon my skills to work with a team so that together, we can all make a difference in children’s lives.

Heather MacDonald

The Larger Picture

I chose to become part of Jumpstart because I wanted to have more of a connection with children. I thought that the three hours a week as a part of the Human Growth and Development placement wasn't enough of a connection with the children and I wanted more. I wanted to have a bigger impact on children's lives and I thought Jumpstart was a great way to do that. I also value creating a strong bond with the members of my Jumpstart team.

Ashley Monck

Jumpstart is back in session!!

After spending nine hours in our winter training this past Saturday, all of Wheelock's Corps members were eager to return to sessions this week. Today was the first day of sessions for some teams. Hopefully, the Boston weather won't prevent sessions from occuring tomorrow. Here at Wheelock College, tomorrow is a special day for everyone. We will be celebrating Wheelock's Fifth Annual Half-Year Program which will be focused on Haiti, where there will be many guest speakers. Along with this exciting news, The Home Childcare Pilot Team will also be starting session again tomorrow morning! Thank you for your support here and we invite you to join us for session!

Winter Break

As the days go by during the break, all the corps members are eager to return to school and to Jumpstart. With a new year comes new memories here at Wheelock. We return to school in a couple of weeks and then sessions begins again the third week of January. We all look foward to seeing all of the children again and cannot wait to read our next core story book!