Jumpstart, a non-profit organization that partners college students with pre-school children from low-income communities, held its first Jumpstart Storybook Parade in the Lincoln-Filene Center, Friday.
Small children covered in face paint and wearing costumes toured the University College and the Education Department and were invited to talk about their books and costumes to members of the faculty who had balloons and Jumpstart stickers on their doors.
The parade was designed to encourage success in school, including literacy and social skills, according to junior Marta Mulawa, who now works at the Jumpstart National Office in Boston.
Lincoln-Filene was decked out for the event with posters of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Arthur, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. It was also filled with many popular children's books.
Thirty children from the Open Center in Somerville, one of the four preschools that Jumpstart works with, sat with each other and talked about their favorite books, including classics like "The Cat in the Hat," "Curious George" and "Garfield."
Volunteer Coordinator Amie Coffey led the group of pre-schoolers and staff members in singing children's songs like the "Shark Song" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider."
After "circle time," each child picked out a book or two and a staff member read to them. "We really try to promote reading and we try to get these kids excited about books," Coffey said.
Participating adults tried to engage the children in conversation about what pictures or colors they saw or how they felt about a certain character. "We try to encourage dialogue about everything," Mulawa said.
After reading their books, the preschoolers made a costume of their favorite characters using construction paper, pipe cleaners, paper bags, and foam letters.
Student Programs Manager Mindy Nierenberg was one of the participating faculty members. "[Jumpstart] connects Tufts students with the Somerville community and allows them to work with young children and shows possibilities through reading," she said.
The Jumpstart staff visits one of four community pre-schools for eight hours a week to work with three- to five-year-old children. They spend three hours twice a week as a team, which usually consists of 10 members and one team leader, and two hours once a week one-on-one with the child.
Mulawa said that after 40 hours of pre-training, the staff begins their work with the children to promote Jumpstart's three core components: family involvement, success in school, and the creation of future teachers out of its staff members.
According to Lindsey Sheppard, a program assistant with Jumpstart and a graduate student working towards her Master's in Occupational Therapy, Jumpstart is all about the kids.
