The race of a lifetime

 

	Dear Phillip, Imagine you are running a race… But when the gun goes off you're a mile behind the starting line and the other runners.  You might be able to catch up, but to do so you have to run twice as fast and work twice as hard. Now imagine Malcolm, running the race at just 4 years old. Malcolm arrived at his first day of school to find that he was already miles behind his classmates in skills like learning the alphabet and writing his name. He might be able to catch up someday, but it will take twice as much effort and support.  And because of the difficult way he started, he may never be able to get there. This is the reality that 1 in 3 of our nation's children face.  Ages 0-5 are the most crucial in a child's development, and those who start behind are likely to remain behind all their lives.  In fact, some states plan for this by deciding how many prison cells they need to build based on children's reading scores. There is a better path for children like Malcolm. With your support, Malcolm got a jumpstart. When he started preschool, Malcolm enrolled in the Jumpstart program. Every week, Malcolm worked with a caring adult mentor on the skills he needs.  Malcolm was behind, but because he was part of Jumpstart, Malcolm caught up. And now he's on track to succeed not just in school… but for the rest of his life. You have a chance to give other children that same jumpstart. Right now there are 4,000 Jumpstart Corps members working one-to-one each week with preschool children at risk of falling behind.  They need your help to change a child's life. Your donation will be matched by one of our board members in the month of December, so this is your chance to make your donation go twice the distance in the most critical race of our lifetime. With many thanks, James Cleveland, President
	Forward to a Friend   Jumpstart 308 Congress St., 6th Floor Boston, MA 02210 617.542.5867

ABOUT JUMPSTART  Since 1993, Jumpstart has been bringing at-risk preschool children and caring adults together in intensive, year-long relationships to build the vital literacy, social, and emotional skills children need to thrive. Jumpstart delivers a research-based, best practice curriculum to nearly 15,000 preschoolers in 76 communities in 20 states across America. Jumpstart is working toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.  For more information, visit http://www.jstart.org/.