Jubilee JumpStart, Inc.

Hi everyone! I am just a few days away from turning 40 (!!!) and I've only got one thing on my birthday wishlist - raising funds to support "March into Reading" at Jubilee JumpStart (JJS).

For those of you who don't know, I've been volunteering with JJS for about a year now. JJS is a nonprofit early childhood education center in Washington, DC. It provides high-quality care and bilingual education to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from diverse social and economic backgrounds, with a focus on children and families with the least access. JJS helps build strong language and literacy skills, thinking skills, self-control, and self-confidence and provides an excellent, robust foundation, so children are school-ready and set up for lifelong success.

Every March during "March into Reading," JJS asks the community to sponsor individuals to come in and read books to a classroom. I would LOVE to be a sponsored reader and am hoping to raise enough funds to read on Friday, March 17. The funds raised through March into Reading support all the good work that JJS does day in and day out for its students and families. I've even narrowed it down to a curated shortlist (but always open to more suggestions!):

Could you help me meet my goal? Benefits include

The Factor3 team (and the spouses who love them) are sponsoring one child's tuition this year at Jubilee Jumpstart, a local early childhood center in Adams Morgan (DC).  Last year, we raised enough to support 6 months' tuition. This year, we're aiming higher!

Why? Because, as we come out of the pandemic, there is a childcare crisis that we need to alleviate for low-income parents who desperately need childcare to support their families.

For many parents, access to childcare is the only way to earn a paycheck or a degree. And for their children, access to high-quality education is one way to ensure they get a fair start in life. Supporting small, local centers like Jubilee Jumpstart is the BEST way to ensure that low-income parents can work or study AND support their children at the same time.

Case in point? Meet Ella and her mom, Maria, two participants at Jubilee Jumpstart.

 

 

Ella's mom, Maria, grew up in urban Adams Morgan, close to our center. Maria's dream was to go to college and major in education. But during her freshman year in college, she became pregnant with Ella. A recent study shows that a third of students failed to graduate after becoming pregnant in college.

But Maria was determined to buck the trend. During her sophomore year, she turned to Jubilee Jumpstart for help and enrolled Ella at our center. Maria was AMAZING. For starters, she took literally  every single parenting activity and class that we offered, including an intensive 12-week parenting course. She and Patty (the center's family engagement manager) developed a deep relationship that helped Maria learn to successfully cope with the dual challenges of school and being a new mom.

Here's the best part: Today, Ella is in our Pre-K program AND Maria graduated college and is teaching in a DC classroom as part of Teach for America. That is a dream come true.

 

 

Today, Carla, Evan, Heather and Shannon are asking you to help raise enough funds to cover a year of education and care for a kid like Ella. Every single one of Jubilee Jumpstart's 48 kids has a bright future and dreams that CAN happen—as long as we continue to support both the kids AND their families. And that's what Jubilee Jumpstart does every day.

Thank you SO much for reading this far and donating. It means so much to us to know that you're willing to join us in supporting for an urban early childhood center with a small footprint but a HUGE impact.

 

And if you'd consider attending our live May 18 annual fundraising event in person, we would love to see you! Tickets are $150 for a household (learn more here).

 

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit Jubilee JumpStart, Inc., and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Jubilee JumpStart, Inc.: Jubilee JumpStart is a childcare and education center (located in an affordable housing building) serving low-incoren of me families in Washington DC’s Ward 1. A vibrant learning community, Jubilee JumpStart has two goals: 1) to ensure that each child has the social, emotional, and cognitive skills to build a healthy, meaningful life; by 2) creating a network of nurturing and supportive adults for the children in the community by fostering the bonds between parent and child, and child and caregiver. In doing so, Jubilee JumpStart hopes not only to strengthen families and communities, but also to empower families to move up and out of poverty by helping children and parents realize their educational and career opportunities.