As we celebrate graduating college student Corps Members and reflect on Teacher Appreciation Week, we are reminded of the critical need to support current teachers and invest in the next generation of highly trained and well-supported early educators. We express our heartfelt gratitude to our Jumpstart Corps Members that served this school year, and we will continue to support those who are graduating this month as they embark on their professional careers in early childhood education and beyond. Read on below to learn more about Jumpstart’s advocacy efforts to fight for an equitable childcare system where educators are well compensated and resourced, and meet Jumpstart alum, Dr. Kim Dieu, who now teaches psychology at Palo Verde College.
The month of May also brings celebrations of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We invite you to explore our book recommendations for AAPI Heritage Month and also check out this year’s Read for the Record book selection, With Lots of Love by Jenny Torres Sanchez and illustrated by André Ceolin. At Jumpstart, we remain committed to sharing stories that are inclusive and representative of diverse identities.
We hope you enjoy learning about the work going on at Jumpstart. We are so grateful for our Jumpstart community.
-Naila Bolus, CEO
Program and Policy Updates
PROGRAM UPDATE
Tune in on June 8, 2023 at 7 PM, ET – the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE), and Jumpstart are excited to host a live Q&A on Early Childhood Education history, activism, and the importance of amplifying educator voices for systems change. Register today to hear from Jumpstart’s Vice President of Programs, Dr. Ashley Williams and others!
POLICY AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS – ADVOCACY UPDATE
On May 8, 2023, Jumpstart joined 700 childcare providers across the country for a “National Day Without Child Care” to raise awareness about the importance of an equitable childcare system built on racial and gender justice, thriving wages for educators, and affordable childcare for all families. Jumpstart joined organizations across New York and rallied at Governor Kathy Hochul’s office in New York City.
Read for the Record
Did you see that Jumpstart announced the 2023 Read for the Record book selection? This year, on October 26th, 2023, we will be reading With Lots of Love, written by Jenny Torres Sanchez and illustrated by André Ceolin for Read for the Record Day! With Lots of Love is a beautiful story about family and the ways in which we stay connected across long distances to those we love.
To learn more about With Lots of Love, check out the Instagram Live with Jumpstart CEO Naila Bolus and the 2023 Read for the Record author, Jenny Torres Sanchez.
Alumni Spotlight
Meet Dr. Kim Dieu, a Jumpstart alum who served as a Corps Member from 2008 to 2011 at California State University, Fullerton. Kim is now an instructor at Palo Verde College and her experiences revolve around Asian American mental health needs and effective school-based interventions, inclusive educational practices, autism, mental health awareness, disability rights, humane psycho-educational assessment procedures, and collaborative family approaches in the development and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).
She shared about her experience with Jumpstart and how foundational it was to her work in the below interview.
Q: What brought you to Jumpstart as a college student?
A: I wanted to do something that was going to put my major into effect. Utilize those theoretical things, put them into practice. So, Jumpstart was perfect because not only were we giving back to the community, but we were basically sharpening our own skills in terms of being a child and adolescent development major. I had so much from my community growing up. We were all poor but we cared about one another and there was a lot of community, the sense of communal giving, and taking care of one another. The folks who are in Jumpstart, perhaps it’s something about Jumpstart that attracts these folks, but these folks are compassionate, they’re dedicated, and they’re ethical people. I mean it’s folks who were from all walks of life, all different colors, all different experiences, and they came together and we all worked together as a team for the benefit, again, for the community.
Q: How do you utilize your experience with Jumpstart now?
A: I feel like the reason why I’m able to work with kids now is because of Jumpstart, and that foundation … If I didn’t know how to work with kids, I would be a really terrible school psychologist. I would be really terrible as far as interpersonal relationships. I wouldn’t be a strong educator if I didn’t know that interpersonal piece, if I didn’t learn the collaboration, if I didn’t learn these leadership skills, if I didn’t learn from some of my mentors in Jumpstart. But I feel like Jumpstart laid the foundation and everything else kind of … You can’t have everything else without the foundation, right?
Q: What made you come back the second year?
A: Oh gosh. I mean I loved it. I mean I loved the people. I loved what we were doing for the community. I mean I loved what we were doing for the kids. We were all learning from those experiences, too. It’s not just, oh we’re coming in, we’re going to show the community. No, no, no, it was we were also learning from the community.
*This interview has been adjusted slightly for clarity.
Work With Us
We invite you to share the below opportunities with your networks and we welcome your referrals!
Jumpstart is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and we encourage candidates to demonstrate an ongoing commitment and interest in social justice or DEI work. To learn more about Jumpstart’s current employment opportunities, visit us at Careers – Jumpstart.
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