Jumpstart at the University of Pittsburgh is a site of the national early literacy non-profit organization, Jumpstart for Young Children, that works toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through year-long relationships between young children and adults, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to become involved in their child’s education, and communities to progress together. 

Over the course of a school year or summer, Jumpstart Pittsburgh Corps members serve 300 hours in classrooms around the city. Corps members usually consist of students from Pitt during the school year, but will include students from all over Pittsburgh during the summer months. Corps members meet weekly to prepare lessons, build team morale, train on implementing Jumpstart sessions and developing preschoolers for kindergarten.

During the school year, Jumpstart Pittsburgh serves over 350 children in 8 different neighborhoods. Jumpstart serviced classrooms can be found in Braddock, Hazelwood, Homewood, the North Side, Wilkinsburg, Mt. Washington, Knoxville, and the Hill District. Jumpstart Pittsburgh is expanding to serve over 600 children during the summer and service is expanding outside the 8 school year neighborhoods.

Jumpstart Pittsburgh has served as a pipeline for teachers since the year 2000 and is working to make sure the preschoolers of Pittsburgh have an even chance to succeed alongside their peers.