On Tuesday February 2, 2021 the Grinnell Rotary Club gathered via zoom for their weekly meeting. The Rotary Club's guest speaker was Amy Blanchard who is the director of JUMP ECI program. This program focuses on early childhood education programming in Jasper, Marion and Poweshiek Counties. This organization was formed in 1998 to support children in pre-school and their parents to ensure that cost is not a barrier for attending pre-school. The Early Childhood Initiative was born from a state-legislated initiative that seeks to achieve “healthy children that are ready to succeed in school and live in a safe and supportive communities, in secure and nurturing families, and equal access to nurturing early learning environments”.
Amy explained that “JUMP supported 64 children preschool scholarships during the FY 20 year. They offer guidance and help for parents via a 146 home visits, assisted 777 children with dental screenings and referrals, and ensured that 30 childcare professionals received WAGE supplements in order to sustain child care services in these three counties. They also support 22 children attending Grinnell Community Early Learning Center. One feature that was highlighted was that the JUMP organization serves any new parent with support of a newborn. Last year they assisted parents of 18 newborns to offer support during post-partum and nursing. The JUMP board consists of a 9-member board from Jasper Marion and Poweshiek Counties. We are fortunate that Amy, who shared many wonderful experiences from this energetic board, is here to serve our youngest learnings.