Close-up of children's hands working on an art project. The hands are coloring butterfly templates with markers and crayons, and adding tissue paper to the designs. The materials are scattered around, showcasing the creative process.

Jumpstart Read for the Record 2024: A Day of Fun, Reading, and Creativity!

by Isabella Infante, Jumpstart Community Engagement Intern | November 12, 2024

A Jumpstart corps member, wearing a grey shirt, engages with a group of children during the "Read for the Record" event. The children are participating in an art activity related to a book, using butterfly templates, markers, and tissue paper to create their own artwork. The corps member is guiding and assisting the children in the creative process.

On October 24th, Jumpstart at Saint Mary's College of California hosted an exciting Read for the Record event at the United Nations Child Development Center (CDC) in Oakland, CA, bringing together 130 enthusiastic children for a day full of reading, creativity, and hands-on fun!

Jumpstart’s Community Engagement Interns, Isabella Infante and Kathleen Ferguson at Saint Mary's College of California, alongside Jumpstart NorCal Community Engagement Manager, Regine Tolosa, as well as Community Engagement Coordinator, Lynette Auro, led the making of this event a success! Together, they coordinated a variety of activities based on this year’s featured book, Piper Chen Sings! The book-related activities created an engaging environment that encouraged self-expression, creativity, and socio-emotional development.

Children's hands hold up microphones they created using craft tubes, Styrofoam balls, and aluminum foil. The microphones are decorated with washi tape, stickers, construction paper, and markers. In the background, various art supplies are spread out on a red tablecloth, including markers, stickers, and construction paper.

Throughout the day, volunteers read to seven different classrooms which guided the children through crafts like making microphones and butterflies, inspired by the story’s themes. These hands-on projects gave the kids a chance to connect with the book while developing important skills such as teamwork, creativity, and emotional awareness. One of the highlights of the day was when the children eagerly ran to the outdoor play area to create their very own microphones and butterflies, filling the air with excitement and creativity.

The event also included a photo booth where the children could capture fun moments with their artwork, making lasting memories of the day! As a special takeaway, each child received a Literacy Kit to take home, filled with materials to encourage continued learning and exploration at home.

Two volunteers pose for a photo in front of a gold backdrop decorated with flowers and butterflies. They stand side by side, one wearing a red Jumpstart shirt and the other wearing a grey Jumpstart shirt. Both smile for the photo.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the amazing volunteers who made the event possible, including Jumpstart alumni Christine Villanueva (SF State), Amelio Chio (SMC Graduate Student & Jumpstart Program Assistant, and the dedicated staff from Saint Mary's College of California: Amaury Avalos, Gaby Bermudez Ramirez, and Maria Rajanna. Your time, energy, and passion for early childhood education helped create an unforgettable experience for the children at the event.

Thanks to the hard work of these incredible individuals and teams, Read for the Record 2024 was a resounding success. We’re so grateful for everyone who contributed to making this event a fun, educational, and inspiring day for the children—and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!

Learn More About Jumpstart

https://www.jstart.org/

Volunteer With The Program This Year

Contact: Isabella Infante imi2@stmarys-ca.edu and Kat Ferguson kaf22@stmarys-ca.edu

Paid Opportunities During the Academic Year

Contact: Bianca Meza bmm11@stmarys-ca.edu

Apply: https://my.jstart.org/apply/

Summer Only Paid Opportunities

Contact: Regine Tolosa regine.tolosa@jstart.org