Morning Glory Montessori’s core mission is supporting Black boys
- Kaylie Sirovy
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
In a small fellowship hall in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, a new kind of school is quietly challenging how early childhood education works, especially for Black children. Morning Glory Montessori, an all-boy faith-informed school, is more than a preschool. It’s a mission.
“I knew that this is what our community needed,” said co-founder Rev. Jessica Jackson, better known as Pastor Jess. “Not enough people in the African American community knew about Montessori, and because of the disparities here in Minnesota, parents are looking for something different. What happens in these foundational years is so impactful on what comes next.”
Montessori education emphasizes exploration and independence, concepts that challenge both mainstream early childhood models and harmful stereotypes about Black children, particularly Black boys.
For Jackson, the journey to founding Morning Glory began decades earlier. Her mother, Ruby Hughes, was a trailblazer in early childhood education on Minneapolis’s North Side, founding La Crèche, one of the city’s oldest Black-led child care centers.
Montessori first entered the family’s story in the early 1990s, when Hughes converted one of her classrooms to a Montessori environment. Jackson didn’t fully understand its significance at the time, but years later, as she pursued her own path in education and ministry, those early seeds took root.
“It was a full-circle, divine moment,” Jackson said, recalling the day she met Montessori trainer Molly O’Shaughnessy, who told her she knew her mother. “That was it for me. I felt like I was called to do this.”
But vision alone wasn’t enough to open a school. It took nearly seven years of searching for space, raising funds, and navigating zoning and licensing hurdles before Morning Glory Montessori opened its doors in September 2024.
Now operating out of the lower level of Impact Living Ministry, the setting offers a surprising transformation. Upstairs, it remains a traditional church; downstairs, it becomes a child-centered learning environment — filled with small tables and chairs, vibrant materials, and a classroom designed around the needs of young children.
Teachers at Morning Glory aren’t called teachers, they’re called Guides, a Montessori term that reflects their role as facilitators of discovery rather than lecturers. The goal is not just academic instruction, but the creation of a community.
June 17, 2025, Minneapolis, MN – The first graduate of Morning Glory Montessori walks down the isle during his graduation.
June 17, that community gathered to celebrate a major milestone: the graduation of one of its first students. Outside the church, families shared food and laughter while children practiced yoga poses on the lawn.
The school’s intentionally small size, just two students in its pilot year, is part of its long-term vision.
“We want to grow, but we want to maintain the integrity of what we’re doing,” said Maya Burnaugh, a board member and parent. “Sometimes when you grow too quickly, you lose some of that integrity. And at the core of our mission is really to support Black boys.”
Burnaugh, who attended mostly white private schools as a child, often felt like an outsider. As a parent, she said, she now understands the importance of children learning in environments where they are seen and affirmed.
“I think he’s really grounded now,” she said of her son. “He can take that into other spaces, where maybe he’s going to be the minority again, and still have that confidence and belief in himself.”
Morning Glory’s curriculum extends beyond academics. The Rev. Dr. Timothy Jackson, Pastor Jess’s husband, serves as director of faith pedagogy and leads the school’s spiritual foundation. His work is rooted in the teachings of theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman.
“The spirituals guided our ancestors through the antebellum South and civil rights and even today,” Dr. Jackson said. “It’s important that we revisit the past so that we don’t repeat it. This is our justice work. This is our civil protest.”
June 17, 2025, Minneapolis, MN – Rev. Dr. Timothy P. Jackson (left) and Rev. Jessica L. Jackson, J.D. pose for a photo in the Morning Glory Montessori space.
For the Jacksons, the school is also a direct response to systemic injustice in early education. “Black boys are criminalized at the early age of three,” Pastor Jess said. “It morphs their personality, and they begin to self-hate. The wonderment is snatched from them.”
She said Morning Glory’s aim is to protect that sense of wonder, and to raise children who are strong, confident, and rooted in their worth.
Despite strong community support, financial barriers remain. Tuition assistance is a key challenge for families who do not qualify for government subsidies but still struggle to afford private preschool. Fundraising efforts are now focused on expanding scholarships to close that gap.
So far, word of mouth has been the school’s strongest recruitment tool, as families share their positive experiences with others.
As Morning Glory prepares for the upcoming school year, Jackson said the focus is on growing with care. “We’re growing — not fast, but intentionally,” she said.
“We want to grow the right way. I want these kids to know: You belong here. You are smart. You are worthy.”
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