Jumpstart Establishes National Early Education Council

BOSTON, MA (JULY 2, 2012): Jumpstart Establishes National Early Education Council: Group of Key Leaders in Early Education Field will Advise Jumpstart’s Strategy and Program

Jumpstart, a national early education organization, announced today the creation of the National Early Education Council (NEEC). The Council brings together leaders in early childhood education from across the country, with foci on economics, evaluation, English Language Learners, language, literacy, curriculum, social emotional development, policy and advocacy. Members of the council include:

Dale Atkins, PhD (NY) – Author and Psychologist

W. Steven Barnett, PhD (NJ) – Director, National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University

Molly F. Collins, EdD (TN) – Lecturer, Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University

Linda M. Espinosa, PhD (MO)- Co-PI National Center on Early Care and Education Research-Dual Language Learners, FPG, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Lead Consultant for the California Child Development Project on Best Practices for Preschool Dual Language Learners; Author and Consultant; Professor of Early Childhood Education (ret.), University of Missouri-Columbia

Roberta Golinkoff, PhD (DE) – H. Rodney Sharp Professor, School of Education, University of Delaware

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD (PA) – Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow, Department of Psychology, Temple University

Jackie Jenkins-Scott (MA) – President, Wheelock College

Sharon Lynn Kagan, EdD (NY) – Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood Education and Family Policy; Co-Director, National Center for Children & Families, Teachers College, Columbia University; Professor Adjunct, Yale University Child Study Center

Debbie Leong, PhD (CO) – Professor Emerita of Psychology, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Christopher Lonigan, PhD (FL)- Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Florida State University; Associate Director, Florida Center for Reading Research

Kelly Maxwell, PhD (NC)- Senior Scientist and Associate Director at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mariela Páez, PhD (MA) – Associate Professor, The Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education, Boston College

Robert C. Pianta, PhD (VA) – Dean, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

Arthur J. Rolnick, PhD (MN)- Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Human Capital Research Collaborative; Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Shirley Sagawa (DC) – Author and Consultant, sagawa/jospin

Judith Schickedanz, PhD (MA) – Professor Emerita, School of Education, Boston University

Deborah Stipek, PhD (CA) – Professor, School of Education, Stanford University

Marlene Zepeda, PhD (CA) – Professor, Department of Child and Family Studies, California State University, Los Angeles

NEEC will be led by Naila Bolus, President and CEO of Jumpstart, and Laura E. Berk, Program Chair of Jumpstart’s National Board of Directors.

“Jumpstart is honored to have the collective expertise of the National Early Education Council informing and stimulating its work,” said Laura Berk, Professor Emerita, Illinois State University. “I look forward to working with the Council to expand Jumpstart’s internal research and stimulate external evaluation of our program.”

“Through this council, Jumpstart will be well-positioned to meet the complex early childhood education needs of our time,” said Naila Bolus. “We are grateful for the support and expertise of this distinguished group of scholars.”

###

ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Jumpstart delivers a research-based and cost-effective program by training college students and community volunteers to serve preschool-age children in low-income neighborhoods. Through a proven curriculum, these children develop the language and literacy skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path for lifelong success. Jumpstart is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. Learn more at jstart.org.