Across the U.S., educational inequity continues to persist along racial and socioeconomic lines. Boston University’s School of Education will help tackle the problem with a new partnership with Jumpstart, a national program that that pairs trained college students with preschoolers in one-to-one partnerships that are uniquely designed to develop literacy, language, and social skills.

“Fifty percent of all children from low-income families start first grade up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills. Five-year-olds from low-income communities have one-fourth the vocabulary of their mid-income peers. That is unacceptable!” said Marina Peterson, the Jumpstart Coordinator who works for the School of Education. “We want to give every child in the U.S. a chance to enter school prepared to succeed — and children can’t reach that promise without the involvement of caring, informed adults.”

Jumpstart Corps Members mentor 3-5 year old children for 8-12 hours per week. They read stories, sing songs, and play games that support young children’s school readiness. Corps Members can earn Federal Work-Study money, a $1500 living allowance, a $1000 AmeriCorps Education Award, and course credit for ED206 “Working with At-Risk Preschoolers.”

"Our partnership with Jumpstart provides students with such an important opportunity to gain perspective on how to reduce the achievement gap," said School of Education Dean ad interim Charles Glenn. "What students learn from their service is tremendous."

For more information, contact Marina Peterson at 617-358-6010 or visit www.jstart.org.