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President Welty reads to Jumpstart students

By Tom Uribes

California State University, Fresno President John D. Welty participated in a story-time reading to students at a Jumpstart Fresno session at Head Start Wesley on May 1.

The youngsters attend Wesley School at 1343 E. Barstow in the El Dorado Park neighborhood west of Bulldog Stadium.

Welty's presentation was well-received by the students, said Sandra Sampayo, assistant program coordinator at Jumpstart Fresno State, an early literacy program that pairs college students with at-risk preschoolers in one-to-one mentoring in language, literacy and social skills.

"This was a great opportunity for President Welty to see the impact that one of Fresno State's programs has on the community through the dedicated efforts of our students," Sampayo said. "He also provided a good role model opportunity for the students and the mentors."

Founded six years ago in New Haven, Conn., Jumpstart recognized the need for quality early childhood education in communities across the United States.

It answers that need by building its involvement in the AmeriCorps national service network, supplementing Head Start programs across the country and growing a base of college students into future teachers, Sampayo said.

Jumpstart recruits, trains, and supports college students to serve as part-time AmeriCorps members, working one-to-one with and supporting young children in Head Start and other early childhood education programs.

Jumpstart-Fresno was launched in 2001 and already has seen successful with more than 40 children and families, Sampayo said. This year, the program has expanded to include 15 additional corps members/mentors and three new preschool sites.

Jumpstart places teams of 6-10 AmeriCorps members or mentors at different early education centers in Fresno Head Start such as Wesley.

"The mentors give that much needed one-to-one attention crucial for developing school readiness skills," Sampayo said.

At Wesley, team leader Melissa Rodriguez leads five Corps members in a typical Jumpstart session twice a week. Sessions consist of three components: Circle Time - educational song/dance activities (social interaction); Choice Time - children chose what activities they would like to work on; and One-to-one Reading - Corps members and their partner child sit down for some quality one-to-one reading.

Back to University Journal, 5/03 Issue