Jumpstart for a Day, a community involvement event and learning fair that will serve more than 150 children, parents and early childhood educators from the Charlottesville community, will take place Friday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Park Pavilion at Darden on the North Grounds of the University of Virginia.

U.Va. students and community volunteers will lead activities involving children, their parents and educators throughout the Pavilion. According to Beth Bailey, site managers for Jumpstart Charlottesville, there will be a special visit from a local fire station and plenty of fun for all. "This event is a great way to thank the preschools, teachers, families, and children who help to make Jumpstart a success," said Bailey.

In Charlottesville, 24 U.Va. students serve as Jumpstart Corps members, spending 10 to 15 hours a week with low-income 3- to 5-year-old children in three local preschool programs. Students help the children develop early language, literacy and social skills, with the goal of preparing preschoolers to take advantage of their educations, beginning with the first day of kindergarten. U.Va. is one of more than 60 institutions of higher education partnering with Jumpstart to serve their local communities.

Jumpstart Charlottesville at the University of Virginia has partnered with Barrett Early Learning Center, the Albemarle County Bright Stars Program at Greer, Cale and Stone-Robinson Elementary Schools, and the Charlottesville City Schools Preschool Program at Burnley-Moran, Greenbrier, and Jackson-Via Elementary Schools.

For more information, contact Beth Bailey, site manager for Jumpstart Charlottesville, at (434) 982-2065 (office) or by e-mail jumpstart@virginia.edu.