Job Title: Central Region Associate Program Director
Organization: Jumpstart for Young Children
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary: Commensurate with education and experience
FT Regular
 
Job Description:
About Jumpstart
Jumpstart is a national early education organization that works toward the
day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Through
extraordinary attention in yearlong one-to-one relationships, Jumpstart
inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved and
communities to progress together. Headquartered in Boston, Jumpstart pairs
3,500 trained adults one-to-one with preschool children in need of
assistance. During the 2007-2008 program year, Jumpstart is serving 13,000
children across 20 states, in partnership with 300 early learning centers
and nearly 70 universities and colleges throughout the country. Jumpstarts
national sponsors include American Eagle Outfitters, AmeriCorps, Pearson,
Sodexho and Starbucks. Jumpstart has earned a four-star rating from Charity
Navigator and is the recipient of the Fast Company/Monitor Social Capitalist
Award (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007) and the Committee to Encourage Corporate
Philanthropys Directors Award. In 2006, the organization launched
Jumpstarts Read for the Record, an annual campaign to bring national
attention to early education while setting a world record for the number of
adults and children reading the same book in a single day.
 
Position Overview
The Associate Program Director (APD) is responsible for ensuring
high-quality program implementation in Jumpstarts Central Region. The
Associate Program Director works closely with campus-based Site Managers at
5-7 Jumpstart programs in the region to deliver training and to support
sites needs according to Jumpstarts research-based program model. The APD
is responsible for ensuring that the Jumpstart program is implemented
effectively at his/her sites. S/he will work closely with the Site Managers
to ensure that program quality and child outcome results for each Jumpstart
site meet expectations.
 
The Associate Program Director will facilitate program improvement by
serving as an active conduit of information to the regional and national
teams regarding Jumpstart site needs, challenges, and successes. As part of
this function, the APD will participate in regional and network planning
initiatives as well as the creation of programmatic and operational
materials to meet field needs and increase outcomes for all Jumpstart
stakeholders.
 
The responsibilities of the Associate Program Director require a high degree
of organizational capacity, flexibility, and demonstrated experience in
successfully managing all aspects program operations and relationship
management. S/he is fully accountable for performance for those sites under
his/her supervision. This position requires significant local and regional
travel to provide training and coaching support to the Jumpstart sites. The
APD will be based out of Chicago, IL and report directly to a Senior Program
Director.
 
Specific Responsibilities
1. Programmatic Oversight
 Conduct regular site check-ins and provide technical assistance according
to site needs
 Assist in coordinating a regional communication system that ensures
Jumpstart sites receive proper support
 Support site staff in the creation/implementation of recruitment
activities at their site, based on national guidelines
 Conduct site visits for start-up, recruitment and/or early childhood
support (as needed), monitoring, and relationship-building
 Coordinate and complete the regional monitoring and assessment process to
ensure that Jumpstart is measuring quality and improving implementation
 Support the cultivation of strategic external partnerships for the region
within higher education, early childhood, and community networks
 
2. Training
 Ensure that regional staff and Corps members (CMs) are receiving adequate
training through both training institutes and coaching visits
 Work with Jumpstarts national office to communicate additional training
needs
 Assist in coordinating the design and delivery of regional training
institutes (3x/year in September, January/February, and May/June)
 Support the design and delivery of national training institutes (1x/year
in July)
 Represent the region at programmatic/education conferences and retreats
 
3. Operations
 Monitor the proper use of AmeriCorps and Jumpstart databases for Corps
member and site information management
o Ensure that Corps member information (including enrollment forms, time
sheets, and exit forms) is being properly input into the systems regularly
o Ensure all sites are compliant with AmeriCorps timelines and regulations
o Provide additional database training to site staff and program assistants
as needed
o Ensure regular and accurate reports regarding site performance on
recruitment, retention, and graduation goals
 Support the writing and submission of AmeriCorps proposals and fiscal and
programmatic progress reporting by ensuring that all necessary site data is
collected and sent to the regional/national office
 Support site staff, with Executive Director and Regional Coordinator, in
creating and managing site budgets
 Support site staff in the comprehension and use of federal work-study and
stipends (as necessary)
 Co-coordinate preparation for regional AmeriCorps site visits
 
4. New Site Start-Up & Higher Education Partnerships
 Support regular communication with key higher education stakeholders at
each Jumpstart site, including an in-person meeting at each site at least
1x/year
 Support new site start-up activities, including program partner Corps
member recruitment, recruitment/selection, and Site Manager
recruitment/selection
 Advise and support the creation and implementation of Jumpstart academic
service-learning courses at relevant sites
 
5. National obligations
 Participate in weekly Regional Program Director meeting
 Identify and address site needs by connecting them to resources and using
this information to develop ongoing resources on the national level
 Participate in national special assessment projects as needed, including
regional data collection and reporting
 
Qualifications:
 Bachelors degree in Education/Early Education/Child Development or
related discipline; Masters preferred
 Commitment to Jumpstarts mission and values of quality, challenge,
diversity, respect, and kindness
 Energetic, enthusiastic team-player who is interested in learning,
demonstrates ability to accept training and coaching, and exhibits flexible,
entrepreneurial spirit
 At least 3-5 years experience in project and relationship management
 Ability to plan and implement in a demanding, fast-paced environment
 Highly organized and flexible in a dynamic environment
 Solid public speaking, presentation and written communication skills
 Competency in Microsoft software, especially Excel, Word and Power Point
 
How to Apply:
Please complete an online application (including cover letter and resume) at
www.jstart.org/jobs. Candidates will be reviewed on an on-going basis.
 
Please indicate in your cover letter where you discovered this position.
Organization Web Site: www.jstart.org
 
Email replies to: kerry.connor@jstart.org