Jubilee School began with a need, a vision and a small room in back of a thrift store. In the Spring of 1977, the director of Jubilee started a reading program for children from her community. Between twenty and thirty children came voluntarily to read and listen to books, write in journals and learn language arts skills. Because the children’s enthusiasm for books and learning wasn’t translating into happy, productive experiences in the local public schools, the need for an alternative community school was recognized. Jubilee School was opened the following fall.
The school started with some basic supplies, a set of homemade blocks and a bright, enthusiastic group of four and five year olds from the community. Using a small space, a few simple raw materials and a lot of energy and curiosity, the children were daily involved in building, planning, organizing, discovering and creating.
After years of seeing children flourish in Jubilee’s kindergarten, it was decided to expand Jubilee, adding a grade at a time. The goal was to provide an alternative to public school in which the curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm children begin with would be kept alive throughout their school years. Jubilee has now expanded through sixth grade.