Jumpstart’s vision is that every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Over the last 25 years, Jumpstart has trained thousands of college students and older volunteers to foster the development of language, literacy, and social-emotional competencies in young children from low-income communities across the country. Even as we provide the transformative power of our program to tens of thousands of children, we remain acutely aware of the needs of the millions of children in schools and communities in which Jumpstart does not yet serve — children whose earliest experiences position them behind the starting line in the race to success.
Jumpstart firmly believes that the most effective way to unlock the potential of each and every child and disrupt the cycle of persistent poverty in our country is to ensure that high-quality early education, taught by qualified and effective educators, is available to all.
To achieve this, Jumpstart seeks to transform early childhood education by advocating for significant, measurable change in the field. By mobilizing our alumni base and national network of leaders and champions, we are working to advocate for the change needed on the ground. This powerful group has the potential to inspire public support and investment in high-quality ECE through their voices, stories, and experiences.
At Jumpstart, we believe in a full circle approach to early childhood education that recognizes the role of:
- Preschool children, their families, and their communities
- Early educators
- College students and other aspiring early educators
- Volunteers in preschool classrooms
Our Policy Principles
As outlined in Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Kindergarten Preparedness: Jumpstart’s Policy Principles (PDF, 2.5 MB), Jumpstart believes in and advocates for the following:
- Accessible, high-quality early education
- A professional, stable, and well-compensated early education workforce
- Affordable higher education that incorporates valuable workforce training opportunities
- A commitment to national service
Learn more about Jumpstart’s Policy Principles.
We know we can’t accomplish these lofty goals on our own. In addition to support from our alumni and network of leaders and champions, we benefit from our partnerships with Voices for National Service and America Forward to advance a public policy agenda that champions innovative and effective solutions to our country’s most pressing social problems.
Our Policy Accomplishments
- Waiver of the AmeriCorps grant match requirement for FY19 & FY20 grantees
- Lifting of the charitable giving deduction for itemized taxes
- Partial expansion of the charitable giving deduction for non-itemized taxes
- Provision of $5.4 billion emergency funding for children & families
- Inclusion of nonprofits in the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program
- Extension to Jumpstart AmeriCorps members’ term of service
- Safeguarding of Jumpstart AmeriCorps members’ Segal Award eligibility for the 2019-2020 school year
- Suspension of student loan repayment
Become An Advocate
You too can be a champion for early education! Click here for three easy ways to get involved.
Policy News
On September 29, 2021, Fortune published an article penned by Jumpstart Vice President of Policy & Government Relations Mark Reilly, entitled “Congress can ensure our children thrive
Seattle, WA (September 03, 2021) – Today, Kylee-Ann Tawara published an Op-Ed through the University of Washington entitled “Pandemic pivot to jump into literacy.” In the piece,
Following a year of persistent advocacy, substanial support is finally on its way to the early education and care sector, students from preschool through college, and families who have persevered
Contact Us
For more information about Jumpstart’s policy advocacy initiatives, please contact Mark Reilly, Vice President of Policy & Government Relations, at 857.413.4593 or policy@jstart.org
