JUMP START BRIDGE

Bridgerama’s Patty Tucker is busy getting bridge into schools across the United States. Following her attendance at the National Association for Gifted Children conference in November 2023, 18 new school bridge programs are under way. A recent visit to the Georgia Association for Gifted Children conference added three more, with two other orders pending. Teachers who sign up for Jump Start Bridge get free supplies, books, Powerpoint presentations, lesson plans and a stipend for every group of students they’re teaching bridge to. With more state gifted teacher conferences happening later this year, those numbers could prove to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Patty’s aim is to create a national network of Jump Start Bridge representatives. “It’s about building a program, building an organization to support that program, building a critical mass of kids learning bridge,” she said. “The more you get, the more will come.”