Jumpstart
Jumpstart advances equitable learning outcomes for young children in underserved communities by recruiting and supporting caring adults to deliver high-quality programming to children and drive systems change through teaching, advocacy, and leadership. Simmons students serve preschool classrooms in the surrounding Boston neighborhoods in teams to support children’s language, literacy, and social-emotional development. Hear more about Jumpstart through the words of Simmons students, teachers, and families.
You can learn more about Jumpstart (and apply online) by visiting the Jumpstart website.
Jumpstart at Simmons
Jumpstart Simmons is an affiliate partner program of Jumpstart for Young Children Inc. While the partnership began in 1995, the official “Jumpstart Simmons” program launched in 2004 giving Simmons the ability to hire a full-time staff member to manage the program. Simmons students are supported throughout the entirety of their service, including providing comprehensive training, reflection, and coaching throughout the year. Members also develop key skills in professional areas of leadership, teamwork, relationship building, time management, and awareness of pressing social justice issues.
At Simmons, our AmeriCorps members come from a variety of disciplines and commit to serving 300 hours throughout the academic year. Students are grouped into teams to work within an assigned JP partner preschool classroom; during classroom time, members implement Jumpstart’s oral language strategies through small group readings and engaging in activities and explorations tied to a larger theme.
By working with the same team & preschoolers throughout the entire academic year, Simmons students build relationships and to see the transformative impact they are having on Boston’s earliest learners as well as themselves.
In addition to possibly earning Federal Work Study or a monetary stipend from AmeriCorps, students can potentially earn course credit through their Jumpstart service. We can be a service site for community-based learning requirements (such as service-learning, practicum placements, internships, Capstone projects, or independent studies). Jumpstart also counts as experience to the Everyday Leadership Pathway.
Jumpstart Simmons is a minimum-time AmeriCorps program. All students who complete the AmeriCorps term of service requirements (300 hours) will earn AmeriCorps post-service benefits including, an AmeriCorps Segal Education Award & the ability to apply for loan forbearance. Learn more about AmeriCorps - the federal agency for national service & volunteerism.
Learn more about Jumpstart contact [email protected].
Impact Reports
London Center in the News
Dr. James O’Connell on Caring for the Homeless in Boston
The London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice hosted Dr. O'Connell, founder and president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, to discuss caring for unhoused populations in Boston. His talk was titled “Continuity within Chaos: Caring for Individuals Living Chronically in Shelters and on the Streets.”
Simmons Recognized for Excellence in Student Voter Registration and Turnout
ALL IN Awards Day honored Simmons for excellence in nonpartisan student voter engagement and campus turnout in the 2022 Midterm Elections. Specifically, Simmons received the award for 2022 Boston Votes Highest Voting Rate: Four-Year Institution. Members of the Simmons community received in-person recognition at the Boston and Massachusetts Campus Voting Summit, held at Harvard University.
A Highlight on Homelessness with the London Center and Boston Health Care for the Homeless
The Stephen D. London Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice selected Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCHP) as the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Community Partner Award.
Discovering Purpose and Community through Art, Service, and Song
Arts Administration major Calla Savelson ’24 shares how she gained professional experience and build a community for herself during her time at Simmons.
Simmons Welcomes 2023 Bonner Community Leaders
The Bonner Community Leaders Program at Simmons University is a unique opportunity for students who want to combine a strong commitment to service with personal growth, teamwork, leadership development, and scholarship. This fall, Simmons announced a new cohort of 11 Bonner Leaders. We spoke with three of them.
Juneteenth and the Art of Envisioning the Future
On June 16, Gary Bailey, Professor of Practice and Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and Social Justice at Simmons University, moderated a Colleges of the Fenway panel discussion, “Juneteenth, Then and Now: A Conversation on Being the Change Through Arts and Activism."
Professor Gary Bailey: Why the Coronavirus has me "Triggered”
In honor of Pride Month, Professor Gary Bailey shares his thoughts on the comparison of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn how the lack of response to the HIV/AIDS crisis differed from the swift actions taken by U.S. government officials when faced with COVID-19.