Meet Jatavia Thornton | Early Childhood Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jatavia Thornton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jatavia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Preschoolbookcorner started out as a class assignment for my graduate program. I was enrolled in a Language and Literacy course at Tarleton State University. I was pursuing my Master’s in Teaching and Curriculum with a concentration in Child and Family Studies. We were asked to create a resource for parents to help increase language and literacy in children, so I created a website for parents. I included teacher reviews of favorite books from their classroom library, I included parent review of books, credible articles for parents, defined common terms in child care such as developmentally appropriate practices, and a list of books categorized by age group. When presented to my Professor, she encouraged me to turn this into a functional website for parents so they can use it as a resource. A year after graduating, I was nannying for a family and they saw how I took Preschoolbookcorner from a simple website to an Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook platform to offer free books to the community. They encouraged me to turn my assignment into a non-profit organization and that is what I did. I found out that South East Austin was in a book desert due to redlining in Austin and I needed to find a way to get books back into my community, so I did what I could and filled out the paperwork to turn Preschoolbookcorner into a non-profit and started getting books back into my community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was not always interested in childcare. From middle school all the way until my first year of college I was adamant about being an Obgyn. I wanted to go to medical school and help teen moms in some way. It wasn’t until college and having to declare a minor, that I started to shift my focus on other ways I could help my community. I came from a family where we relied heavily on the support of our community to live and survive, and my mom and dad made sure that we gave back as much as possible as a thank you for helping us. When I declared Child Development as my minor in college, I began my journey into understanding the growth of children. I started to realized I was falling more interested in the development of children than in the science of medical school. I made a very tough decision and I changed my major to Family and Child Development. This did cause my to lose the support of my parents. They wanted me to pursue a career that would bring me more financial stability. I wanted that as well but I couldn’t give up on something I was so passionate about. I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Family and Child Development in May of 2017. I then entered the workforce and quickly learned the struggles of being an African American women in childcare. The inability to be seen as an educator and not just someone who watches children was one of the biggest challenges that I have faced as an educator. This is what led me to write my graduate thesis comparing the high cost of quality childcare to parent perception of care which was reflected in childcare teacher wages. I was giving my all as an educator financially, socially, and physically without the financial gain and support from my administration. Throughout college I had a few white woman professors who would ask why I never spoke up in class but my tests and assignments showed that I was an amazing student who understood the development of humans. I had to study the development of infants to adulthood while understanding the diversity and inclusive impact that it has on their growth. I also had to study family dynamics of children and how that played a role in their development. Professors saw how I could take that and implement it in a classroom setting. Which produced an amazing learning environment for children to grow and learn and be supported. They saw that in me in college and so did my administration when I entered the workforce. The only difference is my professors in college worked to bring the best out of me while my administrative staff worked to diminish me. I have worked in the field for 5 years and I have had to fight for fair treatment, pay, and support. I have advocated for minority students in predominantly white spaces because their parents are trying to give them the best care but with teachers who do not look like them, they fall victim of subpar treatment due to a lack of understanding of culture. I have had to quick jobs in childcare because of white teachers being paid more than black employees, and hostile treatment from directors because I am being held to a standard that my white colleagues were not held too. I realized that if I was going to achieve everything I wanted in life, I would have to create a space where I felt welcomed and my expertise is welcomed and that meant going into business for myself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend is coming to town it would be amazing because Austin has so much to offer. For breakfast we would head to Cosmic Coffee where there are amazing foods trucks there for eating options and booze coffee for drinks. You can even bring your furry friends! My favorite food truck in that area is Pueblo Viejo. Their chorizo and potato tacos are amazing! We can head over to Cidercade for lunch for pizza and cider drinks and play games from the 90s. You also have a great view of Ladybird Lake from the patio and it is a great place for photos. For dinner we would head to Punch Bowl at the Domain. They have bowling, karaoke, darts, mini golf, a bar, and great music. The Domain is also great for upscale nightlife. You can also come back during the day for an amazing shopping experience. I spend a lot of time in Sephora, Aldo, and Macy’s. For brunch Phoebe’s dinner and Seyer and Co. are amazing choices. Phoebe’s dinner is amazing for their biscuits and BBQ burrito and Seyer and Co have an amazing red beans and rice and Fried Catfish with crawfish etoufee. For a quick lunch we would stop by Errthing New Orleans food truck for their Poboys and Gumbo. If you are looking for an amazing night but one that you might not remember, 6th street is the best place. Buckshots have $1-$5 shots and arcade games and the bars have good music. The street vendors have great food and the strip is filled with people having a good time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank my very supportive husband for allowing me to be the strong woman that I am. He is the one that encouraged me to pursue my Master’s degree and is currently suggesting I pursue my Doctoral program. I would like thank my amazing best friend since high school Niyah for supporting me and motivating me throughout my life. She has been my biggest cheerleader. I would like to thank Professor Parks at Texas State University and Professor Higgins at Tarleton State University for seeing something in me that I didn’t see and working to bring that out. I would like to that Cné Brooks for showing me how to be an amazing educator. She taught me how to be a strong African American educator while being nurturing and caring while creating positive relationships with parents.

Instagram: Preschoolbookcorner

Linkedin: Jatavia Thornton M.Ed

Facebook: Preschoolbookcorner

Image Credits
Adrianna (Niyah) Grave