In case you don’t know who I am, my name is Jayde Dunkerley and I am the Associate Pastor at the SE Portland Parish. I joined our team in July and have loved every minute of my work with the Parish. From sharing a cup of tea at Tea Chai Te, to packing weekend food for the Backpack buddies at Trinity, and diving into Scripture over dinners at Sellwood– it has been quite the ride so far.
One of the most exciting things I have had the opportunity to be a part of so far has been the Childcare Conversations. So far we have had two conversations where we have really opened ourselves to hear the needs guardians face in finding care for their children, and we have one more tomorrow evening! We have been using assets-based community development to see our own giftedness as individuals and a congregation, as well as the giftedness in our unique SE Portland neighborhoods.
While tomorrow, Feb 21st, is the last formal conversation, the work we have begun is going to continue to shape our congregation as we journey towards partnering with our community to provide affordable childcare opportunities. As we have heard from those in our community, affordability and availability are two of the biggest struggles for those finding childcare. Families should not have to spend $1200 to $2000 a month for their children to be nurtured. Our community, and our Parish, has a responsibility to those families because they are caring for the future leaders of our community.
We believe that our next step in this journey is to provide four weeks of day camp for children who live or whose guardians work in SE Portland. This will not be easy work, but it is kindom work! While many families spend anywhere $250 to $500 a week on summer care for children, we have the incredible opportunity to partner with Jeff Lowery’s nonprofit Learning and Serving Together (L.A.S.T.) and those in our community to offer full-day care for elementary age children at only $100 a week. We will have multi-child and multi-week discounts (I sound like Progressive), as well as a sliding scale for those who need it.
Whoever you are we have a place for you to be involved in this walk towards a just childcare alternative in SE Portland. Whether you are a high school junior needing service hours, an avid crocheter, or just looking to be a part of something beautiful– email or call Eilidh or I. We are looking for guest readers for the younger kids, local artists and musicians to share their trade with developing creatives, urban homesteaders to teach about getting back to growing our own food, and also financial contributions to sponsor supplies and tuition. We believe that our community has the ability and the assets to address the injustice of inaccessible childcare our neighborhood faces. So, how will you journey with us?
-Jayde
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