Pros
Great program that offers opportunities to help narrow the achievement gap before children can even fall behind. Friendly staff and lots of joy. Everyone working here demonstrates a passion for the mission and values that Jumpstart strives for.
Cons
Low pay that is inequitable, especially if you are not one of the mostly young white women fresh out of college who have roommates and are supported by their parents that work here. This is a major factor in turn over, especially for the staff that do not fit this mold. Those that do fit the mold also leave as soon as they finish grad school, get married, take on any new responsibilities, or grow in any other way. White savior mentality abound. Many staff members join the organization with good intentions but no real connection or relationship with the communities they work in. Their allyship is often performative at best. Though I truly believe the communities and school they work with benefit tremendously from the program, their lack of understanding can also widen the gap between them and those communities. They are paternalistic to those they serve and exhibit subtle (and not-so-subtle) racist attitudes like clutching their purses if a black man gets on the elevator with them or talking to the few minorities in the office about the voluntourism they did in that person's native country. This diminishes the number of minorities willing to work at HQ and also pushes away volunteers from those communities because they can feel staff pitying/looking down at them and their people.