Jumpstart Preschool
Jumpstart State Preschool Program
Through a contract with the California Department of Education, Ventura Unified School District operates 14 half-day Jumpstart State Preschool programs. The Jumpstart Program is under the auspices of Ventura Unified School District Office of Educational Services, Child Development Programs.
Our State Preschool programs are designed to prepare children for successful entry to kindergarten. Our curriculum offers children opportunities to learn by being actively involved with developmentally appropriate materials in the areas of language, cognitive, social, emotional, creative, and physical development. We value each child as a unique individual and foster a healthy sense of self. We use integrative curriculum that is founded on theories of High Scope and the NAEYC Curriculum Guidelines for Young Children. We pride ourselves in being part of VUSD Language Arts Standards. Jumpstart utilizes a developmental continuum and benchmarks to document and evaluate student learning. It is the goal of Jumpstart to help minimize the gap between pre-K and the K-5 school system and to increase Kindergarten readiness.
When you visit the Jumpstart classrooms you will observe a print rich environment supporting the developmental process of early literacy. Notably, the importance of a culturally and linguistically sensitive learning environment is demonstrated. Children are engaged daily in language/ literacy lessons, as well as ten developmentally based center activities. Children receive a “no cost” nutritionally balanced meal each day. Each Jumpstart Preschool classroom is composed of a Site Leader (Director) and two qualified Classroom Teachers. The program is structured to provide back-to-back instruction, more commonly known as team teaching.