Mentor Program Gives Head Start Youngsters An Added Jump Start

Keith, a lively 3-year-old, enthusiastically participates when the group is asked a question. When discussing good behavior, he eagerly exclaims, “I am kind to my sister.” However, his mentor, Dawn Hunt, hopes to temper his strong-willed personality. At the Edward C. Mazique Parent-Child Center, she assists him in building a Lego tower with a quiet little girl. She encourages Keith not to blame his playmate when the blocks fall.

“He is very intelligent, but he always wants things his way,” explains Ms. Hunt, who discovered during her training for the Jumpstart program that her patience made her a good match for Keith. “I don’t want him to be dismissed solely based on his behavior. Hopefully, someone will be able to keep up with him in the classroom.”

Ms. Hunt, a Howard University education major, is one of the 40 college students from the Washington area who have joined Jumpstart. This 20-month mentoring program aims to support preschoolers enrolled in the federal Head Start program or other child-care centers that cater to low-income children. Teachers refer struggling children, such as those who are extremely withdrawn or require individual attention like Keith, to Jumpstart so they can receive the additional assistance they need to be prepared for kindergarten.

Jumpstart was first established in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1993 by two Yale University students, Rebecca Weintraub and Aaron Lieberman. They had spent their summers at a camp in New York state, working with children, and realized that the relationships they formed abruptly ended once the campers left. “We wanted to create a continuous model of support for these children,” says Ms. Weintraub, who currently leads the Washington program. Encouraged by Edward Zigler, a Yale psychology professor and one of the founders of Head Start, the students designed a one-on-one mentoring program. They initially interviewed teachers at the Zigler Head Start Center at Yale, who expressed their challenges in reaching certain students and addressing their social skills for success in school. Moreover, the teachers shared their disappointment with other mentoring programs that lost momentum after an initial burst of enthusiasm.

From its humble beginnings in Ms. Weintraub’s dorm room, Jumpstart now operates in four East Coast cities, including Boston, New York, New Haven, and Washington. It boasts a total of 240 corps members and an annual budget of $2.2 million, serving 240 children this year. As an AmeriCorps program, Jumpstart receives federal work-study funds, corporate donations, and foundation grants. The mentors receive a stipend of $1,000 during the school year and $2,500 during the summer when the program runs for a full week rather than just two days. Apart from working in the classroom, mentors keep journals about their students and plan informal activities that involve the children’s parents.

According to Laura Brito, an AmeriCorps member and sophomore at Yale, building a relationship with a parent is just as vital as developing a bond with the child. “The parent knew that I wasn’t just doing a job,” says Ms. Brito, who mentors in New Haven. “What made a difference was stopping by their house when Crystal, the girl I mentor, didn’t show up.”

Jumpstart focuses on helping preschoolers with the fundamental skills they need to succeed.

During the summer months, the mentors at Jumpstart dedicate their time to focusing on specific skills that children will need when they enter kindergarten. These skills include learning how to communicate with teachers and other basic tasks that adults often assume children already know how to do, according to Ms. Weintraub.

Jumpstart’s practical experience naturally attracts college students who are majoring in education or child development. However, the program also appeals to students studying medicine, business, and foreign policy. One of the program’s key strengths, as agreed upon by the founders and mentors, is its extensive training curriculum for future teachers. Before being paired with a child, these college students spend weeks learning about child-development theory and teaching techniques. They also have the opportunity to observe the children they’ll be working with. While many of the participants have a love for children as their main motivation, Jumpstart also offers a well-structured process.

Mr. Zigler, along with the Jumpstart founders, played a significant role in designing a program evaluation. Early results from the New Haven site, released earlier this year, indicated that Jumpstart children exhibited fewer behavior problems in the classroom and scored higher on a school readiness test compared to preschoolers who were referred to the program but couldn’t participate due to an insufficient number of corps members. Further research is currently underway, and there are plans to follow a cohort of children into elementary school to study the long-term effects.

The potential expansion of Jumpstart beyond its current four cities is also being considered. The national office in Boston frequently receives requests from Head Start centers across the country, indicating a demand for the program. “I would love to open a Jumpstart branch in Hawaii,” expressed Ms. Weintraub.