If you can imagine the warm, welcoming, light-filled place and the beautiful and brilliant children and teachers who spend their days at Jubilee JumpStart, you know that I am blessed to be living a version of Frederick Buechner’s well-known quote: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I have been loving, working, learning and growing there for six years now.
For my whole life, I’ve loved babies and small children. I am that lady – making conversation with 6-month-olds in the grocery store, playing peekaboo with a toddler on the bus, and hugging any preschooler I meet. I knew from my early years of babysitting and helping with Vacation Bible School that I would work with children and for children. My first job out of college was at Children’s Protective Services in the big city of Houston, Texas. This small-town Oklahoma girl brought all of her love and willingness to work, because I sure didn’t have anything else! The children were easy to love there, and then God took me further, by making me fall in love with their parents. It was good preparation for my work here.
Jubilee Jumpstart (JJS) opened in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC, about seven years ago because of the incredible vision of Joe Collier and the love and support of countless individuals and faith communities of the Church of the Saviour.
We were founded on the belief (and findings) that children with the greatest need and vulnerability benefit most from the highest quality of education and care. We provide a nationally-accredited, richly staffed program to serve 48 children from infancy through Pre-Kindergarten, with full time child care and support services for parents.
Our community-based location and deep investment in relationships are two of our greatest hallmarks. The majority of our families have low incomes, but we intentionally enroll around 30% who pay tuition rather than relying on child care subsidies. This approach reflects our community and is shown to have even better outcomes for low income children.
We are also a dual language program, providing instruction in both English and Spanish. Again, this reflects our community, both among families and teachers, and also provides even better outcomes for children. And quite personally, I was drawn to JJS because of the emphasis placed upon parents’ needs during their children’s early years.
Going way back to my years with families experiencing abuse and neglect, all of my work since then has involved supporting parents in succeeding in the most important roles of their lives. Our goal at JJS is for children and parents to leave for their next school more ready to learn and love over the course of their lives. We try to love without limits at JJS.
Just a few days ago, our philosophy of “caring for caregivers” was tested. On Monday, I was both alarmed and delighted when more than 50% of our teaching staff told me that they would not be at work on Thursday, as they planned to participate in the “Day Without Immigrants” protest.
I want justice and fairness for all, and was faced with how to live into that while continuing to meet our obligations to children and families. I stopped, breathed, felt God with me, and knew that the love and justice we want for our children starts with our teachers. With the support of a great leadership team, other staff and our amazing parents, we made the day work with only minor adjustments. God was deeply present on Ontario Road as 9 teachers, initially worried about stating their need, were relieved and empowered by learning that we love and value them both in their absence for one day along with their presence every other day. It was a powerful experience for us all to go from fear and scarcity to love and abundance so quickly.
So here I am, for the millionth time, astounded and comforted by God’s love for me and for everyone. Our children, parents and teachers know they are beloved and turn second cheeks, go second miles and give each other their cloaks. We are loving without limits. Thanks be to God.
-Dee Dee Parker Wright, Director of Jubilee Jumpstart (from a sermon for Dayspring Church)
