Number of Children Served: 1761
Number of University Partners: 11
Number of Corps members: 618

Brad Barrett Vice President, Capital Group Companies
Manuel C. Camargo, Jr. Principal Advisor, Strategic Planning, Southern California Edison
Sue Gaon Vice President of Custom Solutions, Lakeshore Learning Systems
Whit Hayslip Consultant, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
James Huang Principal and Founder, BRC Advisors, Inc.
Susan McMillan Consultant
Elizabeth Marcellino Writer & Journalist
Darline Robles, Ph.D Professor of Clinical Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California (USC)
Back to top

Strong partnerships with many industry-leading corporate, foundation, government and individual investors make our impact possible. Jumpstart in Southern California is pleased to have partnered with the following organizations:
 
American Honda Foundation
Boeing Employees Community Fund
California Community Foundation
Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation
City National Bank
Edison International
First 5 LA
Goldman Sachs
Hyatt Regency Center
Kenneth T. & Eileen L. Norris Foundation
MetLife Foundation
Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Ralphs
Ronald McDonald House Charities
S. Mark Taper Foundation
Southern California Edison
Starbucks
University of Southern California
Verizon Foundation
Vote. Give. Grow. 
Weingart Foundation
Wells Fargo Foundation
 

Meet A Lovable Tractor and a Playful Calf

The last month has been filled with ups and downs for those of us committed to early education. We were thrilled to hear President Obama use his State of the Union address to rally the nation for high-quality early education. More recently, though, the national conversation has shifted to the budget challenges in Washington and sequestration. And while the details of their impact are still unclear, we do know that if the cuts go forward, they will affect preschool education generally, and the children and families Jumpstart serves more specifically.
 
Earlier this week, one of our partner preschools, Good Beginnings Head Start, was featured in a Los Angeles Times article exploring the scope of what may come. It’s not too long, and well worth the read if you have a minute or two. It highlights how necessary it is to get the word out about high-quality early education and its importance for children, families, and the country.
 
With this in mind, I can’t think of a better time to share some exciting news about the 2013 Jumpstart’s Read for the Record ® campaign, presented in partnership with the Pearson Foundation. On Thursday, October 3, 2013, millions of children and adults across the country and around the world will come together to celebrate literacy, support the Jumpstart mission, and call for high-quality early education for every child. One of my favorite moments from last year’s campaign is the featured photo at the top.
 
This year’s official campaign book is Otis by New York Times bestselling author Loren Long and it is a timeless story of a friendship between a lovable tractor and a playful calf that live on a farm. Though Read for the Record is still several months away, I would ask you to join us now. Pledge to read on October 3. Join the 2.3 million like- minded people who participated last year and lend your voice to the cause. Together, we will continue working toward the day every child starts kindergarten prepared to succeed.

California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Northridge
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Southern California
Whittier College

Back to top

Gary Jimenez
Executive Director
213.387.8738
gary.jimenez@jstart.org

Atalaya Sergi
Senior Program Director
213.387.5500 
atalaya.sergi@jstart.org

Jennifer Childress
Director of Development
213.387.0765
jennifer.childress@jstart.org

Ben Katcher
Development Manager
213.387.5506
ben.katcher@jstart.org

Thea Quigley
Development Associate
213.387.5545
thea.quigley@jstart.org

Truyen Tran
Program Director
213.387.5525
truyen.tran@jstart.org  

Debbie Lieberman
Associate Program Director
213.387.5507
deborah.lieberman@jstart.org

Nicole Rouse
Regional Operations Coordinator
213.387.8484
nicole.rouse@jstart.org

Neil Dion
CSU Fresno
Senior Site Manager
559-278-8846
ndion@csufresno.edu

Jo’ie Taylor
CSU Fullerton
Site Manager
657-278-4406
jodtaylor@fullerton.edu

John Harmon
UC Irvine
Site Manager
949-824-8867
harmonj@uci.edu

Kortney Hernandez
UC Irvine
Site Manager
949-824-0596
kortneyh@uci.edu

Sergio Pineda
CSU Dominguez Hills
Site Manager
310-243-2438
spineda@csudh.edu

Danielle Watson
CSU Northridge
Site Manager
818-677-4717
danielle.watson.887@csun.edu

Amanda McLaughlin
Pepperdine
Site Manager
310-506-6966
amanda.mclaughlin@pepperdine.edu

Rosealinda Carillo
Pepperdine
Site Manager
310-506-7548
rosealinda.carrillo@peperdine.edu

Ayla Stern
UCLA
Senior Site Manager
310-206-4216
astern@college.ucla.edu

Maria Monarrez
UCLA
Associate Site Manager
310-825-5435
mmonarrez@college.ucla.edu

Punam Bhakta
USC
Site Manager
213-740-8943
pmbhakta@usc.edu

Holly Lopez
Whittier
Site Director
562-907-4200 x4428
hollyalopez@whittier.edu

Jenessa Flores-Parker
Pitzer
Site Manager
909-607-9290
jenessa_flores@pitzer.edu

 
Back to top

Thank you for visiting Jumpstart Southern California! We’re working every day to change lives, empower communities, and impact our future! There’s been so much attention in recent years to the fact that so much of a child’s mind is shaped and developed by the age of five. Jumpstart views this as an opportunity that cannot be missed. By working with children across Southern California, we are giving them the skills they will need to succeed in school and planting the seeds for a well-educated society and workforce. Jumpstart's program invests in children today to help create a thriving future. I hope that you will join me in standing up for Jumpstart’s mission to ensure that all children – regardless of their circumstances – enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.--  Gary Jimenez, Executive Director

Gary Jimenez joined the Jumpstart team in 2009 as executive director for the Southern California region, and quickly cultivated a strong base of local support while forming partnerships with two of Los Angeles’ leading education institutions: UCLA and USC. Gary has a wealth of non-profit leadership and senior-level fundraising experience in the Southern California education sector. He is an officer of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles and holds a BA from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.