Southeastern NEWS
Southeastern Louisiana University
Public Information Office
publicinfo@selu.edu
SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
Date: 7/5/01
Contact: Christina Chapple 25
Editors: Photo accompanies release Please note local interest
VAUNNE BLOSSMAN TO COORDINATE SLU'S JUMPSTART PROGRAM
HAMMOND -- Vaunne Blossman of Covington has joined the Southeastern Louisiana
University staff as director of Jumpstart, a national program that aims to ensure that every child
enters school prepared to succeed.
Blossman said Southeastern Jumpstart has 14 applicants for the program, which allows
students to earn $800 to $1,600 for tuition or loans by working one-on-one with pre-school
children at Southeastern and Hammond Head Start programs. Openings are available for 46
Jumpstart "corps members" and four team leaders for the 2001-2002 academic year.
Blossman has a master's degree in early childhood education and early childhood special
education from Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, Conn., and a bachelor's degree in speech
communication/communicative disorders from Montana State University. She has had extensive
experience as a preschool teacher and early interventionist and has been a members of the
faculties of Johnson State College and Community College of Vermont, both in Springfield, Vt.
She also has worked with Easter Seals Louisiana to assess child and family needs and coordinate
services for birth to three special needs populations in St. Tammany, St. Helena, Tangipahoa,
Washington and Livingston Parishes.
Blossman first task as Jumpstart director is to recruit student participants. She said the
program gives students a unique opportunity to participate in community service, build
relationships with families and communities; develop teaching, and leadership and professional
skills.
Jumpstart participants become AmeriCorps members and agree to give a minimum of 300
hours of service during the 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.
Southeastern students who qualify for federal work study funds will earn a 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
Participants will receive 60 hours of training in tutoring young children in reading, oral
language skills and other literacy activities. They also will learn to work with parents in setting
realistic goals for what they want their children to achieve. The volunteers will be organized into
corps under four team leaders.
Southeastern will receive approximately $240,000 for the program over the next three
years through Louisiana Serve and the national Jumpstart office.
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.
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 Blossman at 985-549-5273,
vblossman@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/newsm01.htm