Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 4/19/01
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   25

STUDENTS CAN EARN TUITION BY HELPING CHILDREN THROUGH
SOUTHEASTERN'S "JUMPSTART" PROGRAM
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University students can earn approximately $800
to $1,600 for tuition or loans by working one-on-one with pre-school children through
"Jumpstart," a national program that aims to ensure that every child enters school prepared to
succeed.
     The College of Education and Human Development is recruiting up to 50 students to
participate in program during the 2001-2002 academic year. Jumpstart will pair Southeastern
students with children from the Southeastern and Hammond Head Start programs.
     Teacher education professor Cynthia Elliott, who heads the university's Early Literacy
Program, said students can learn about Jumpstart by attending one of two information sessions
scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, or Thursday, May 3, in the Cate Teacher Education
Center Kiva.
     Jumpstart focuses on three major goals   school success, family involvement, and future
teachers, Elliott explained. "Those goals are such a good fit with Southeastern's own goals,"
Elliott said. She said the university's participation in Jumpstart enhances Southeastern's  focus
on early literacy, teacher preparation, building community partnerships and service learning.
Elliott said Jumpstart approached Southeastern about becoming a partner after learning about the
reputation of the university's early literacy programs.
     Elliott said student participants will become AmeriCorps members and agree to give a
minimum of 300 hours of service for the 2001-2002 academic year. Each university student will
work with a three- to five-year-old Head Start student for a minimum of 10 hours 
a week. 
     Elliott said Southeastern students who qualify for federal work study funds will earn a 
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JUMPSTART   Add One
salary based on the hours they work. Other students will earn an "education award," ranging from
$780 for 300 hours to as much as $1,575 for up to 600 hours. The award can be applied to tuition
after the student completes the minimum 300 hours. Students have up to five years to use the
tuition award, she said.
     She said participants will receive 60 hours of training in tutoring young children in
reading, oral language skills and other literacy activities. "The volunteers will also learn to work
with parents in setting realistic goals for what they want their children to achieve," Elliott said.
"Everyone works together to build on the concept that every child should be ready for school."
     Elliott said the 40-50 volunteers will be organized into corps under four team leaders. A
Southeastern Jumpstart director will be hired this summer.
     Southeastern will receive approximately $240,000 for the program over the next three
years through Louisiana Serve and the national Jumpstart office, Elliott said.
     Susan Cooper, director of Southeastern Head Start, said she is excited about the
collaboration. "It will give some of our children the opportunity to have one-on-one attention
with college students," she said. "It's a win-win situation for us and for Southeastern." 
     Jumpstart now serves over 1,500 children annually in Boston, Washington DC, New
York, New Haven, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh. Nearly 500 college
students serving as AmeriCorps members participated in Jumpstart during the 1999-2000 school
year. Jumpstart continues to grow every year through new partnerships with colleges and
universities.
     The program has been cited as a model by both President Bill Clinton and Hillary
Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Education Richard Riley and has also been featured by
Education Week, USA Today, New York Times, Boston Globe, and MTV.   
     As a university partner, Southeastern joins  LeMoyne College, Occidental College, Pitzer
College, Arizona State University, San Francisco State University, University of California, Los
Angeles, University of Pittsburgh, and  Minnesota State University, Mankato.    
     For additional information about Jumpstart, contact Elliott at 985-549-5269,
celliott@selu.edu, or Roxie Jones in Southeastern Financial Aid Office at 985-549-2244.
Information about Jumpstart is also available online at www.jstart.org.
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp01.htm