Volunteers can give disadvantaged children a head start this Martin Luther King Jr. Day by participating in a variety of activities sponsored by Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization that pairs college students participating in Americorps with low-income preschoolers.

The program is the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, said Jumpstart volunteer coordinator Kristy Hogue.

“Low-income preschoolers enter kindergarten with amazing deficiency in vocabulary and social skills,” she said.

Jumpstart’s mission is to make sure children enter school prepared to succeed, which is also the guiding principle behind events occurring over the next few days.

On Monday, volunteers will make batches of play dough that will eventually help facilitate small group activities at schools in areas such as Columbia City and the International District.

Shopping at Starbucks and Barnes and Noble in the U. Village can also help the cause when customers pick up vouchers at the door. Twenty percent of purchases will go to school libraries.

Jumpstart is currently looking for students interested in participating in Americorps. Members work with the organization for a year, and in return, the program counts as work-study and students receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Other volunteer opportunities during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service can be found at the Carlson Center.

“Dr. King said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?’” said Matthew Wojciakowski of the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center. “We are really encouraging everyone to ask themselves this very question and to offer them opportunities to serve.”

[Reach reporter Erinn Unger at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]