Mississippi University for Women’s Jumpstart Program recently joined more than 2.24 million readers across the United States to promote early childhood development, education and literacy as part of the Jumpstart’s 15th annual Read for the Record.
The annual program engaged 2.24 million readers, distributed 116, 715 books to children and gathered 12.4 million social media impressions. As part of the event, W President Nora Miller read “Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away” by Meg Medina to students of The W’s Child & Parent Development Center and recorded a virtual reading. The video is featured on the university’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/4Ij51VzhKrI. Each year, Jumpstart selects a children’s book for the campaign and partners with the publisher to develop a special edition of the book. The selected book is read on the designated campaign day by adults and children (PreK through second grade), both in-person and virtually, in homes, schools, libraries and museums across the globe as well as celebrated in thousands of community-led events.
Jumpstart is a national early education organization equipping children in America to enter kindergarten 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.
“The W’s Jumpstart program makes high-quality children’s books accessible for the children by making sure every child has a storybook to take home. We provide support, resources and materials that foster language and social-emotional development. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a powerful way to come together for the power of reading. It is truly an opportunity to rally The W and our Columbus community around the importance of high-quality early learning experiences,” said Rose Ford, Jumpstart program site manager.
The W was the second university in the state to partner with Jumpstart in 2015. Within five years, 65 W students have completed high-quality training, served over 19,000 hours within the Columbus community providing an individualized learning experience to local 3-5 year-old children. Local program partnerships have been established with West Lowndes Elementary School Pre-K, The Assembly Kids Academy and the MUW Child & Parent Development Center.
The W’s Jumpstart has served approximately 250 young children throughout Lowndes county. These partnerships have reduced the student-to-adult ratio to 3:1 in almost every classroom served, enabling children to develop nurturing relationships with caring adults while engaging in high-quality learning. Upon program completion, W Jumpstart Corps members receive the Segal Education Award. More than $78,000 has been awarded to W Jumpstart Corps members.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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