“I want to promote a love of reading and learning and I want to do it in a way that children can learn from each other and from themselves. I want to make a difference,” says Ohio University-Zanesville Early Childhood Education graduate, Jessica Bond of Caldwell. It was this desire that helped Jessica earn a Pearson Teacher Fellowship. The fellowship is part of a national program designed to help continue the inspiration and support of qualified Jumpstart Alumni by placing them in preschool teaching positions. 

As a recipient of the fellowship, Bond will attend a comprehensive Summer Training Institute, will receive job placement assistance, a supplemental stipend and membership in the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Colleen Romito, site manager for the Zanesville program, recommended Bond for the fellowship because of her passion and ability to work with preschool children and their families.  “Graduates of the Jumpstart program are in a unique position to enter preschool and make a real difference because of their extensive training, classroom experience and family and community service.” says Romito.

“The Pearson Fellowship will allow Jessica to support the developmental and educational needs of many young children in our community,” says Dr. Hannah Nissen, professor of Early Childhood Development at Ohio University-Zanesville. “In addition, she’ll continue to enhance her already strong skills as an early childhood educator.”

The Jumpstart Ohio University-Zanesville program, of which Bond was a part for nearly three years while pursuing her degree, inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved, and communities to progress together in an effort to prepare every child in America for success in school. Bond is the first student from Ohio University to receive the fellowship.

“I hope that she (Jessica) will be the first of many to be awarded such a valuable opportunity,” says Nissen. Through a series of interviews, hands-on planning and demonstration activities and a comprehensive application process, Jessica demonstrated strong communication skills, the ability to work in a team environment, a solid academic record, commitment and the desire to directly influence the lives of children and families.

“It is so rewarding to watch children develop a love for learning and literacy or to see children become engaged in new and unfamiliar materials,” says Bond. “During my second year of Jumpstart, I watched my partner child write his name for the first time. I think I felt just as much satisfaction as he did.” Jessica will be continuing Jumpstart’s mission through teaching in a local early childhood program, as she fulfills her fellowship commitment over the next two years.