Meet Jane Gordon: First STEP Teacher and After School Tutor

Providing a Chance to Play

Miss Jane is a familiar face to our families whose children have attended the First STEP Preschool program in the past ten years. Or After School Enrichment. Or Summer Enrichment. Or needed individual tutoring.

Basically, if your ASK child has needed help with school work in past decade, Miss Jane has probably been one of the extremely kind, caring, and patient ladies who's done that.

When asked to talk about her experience, she shared, "I have been teaching for almost 50 years. I have taught elementary ed, special ed, college classes, hospital ed, and children on home bound instruction due to medical issues." ​Miss Jane has been an educational consultant at the hospital and at an outpatient psychiatric clinic and was an educational diagnostician for Richmond Public Schools for 13 years, testing preschoolers for developmental issues. 

She jokingly says, "maybe it is enough to say that I have plenty of experience" but we like to brag about her. After all, Miss Jane is one of the teachers who helps to provide normalcy to our ASK families.

For children with cancer, simple illnesses can be dangerous as chemotherapy suppresses their resistance to ordinary childhood viruses. So preschool, playdates and other social outings are not always an option.

At First STEP (Socialization Through Enriched Play), our kids can learn and play with each other safely. Precautions are taken, like using hand wipes throughout the day, and we understand when attendance is interrupted due to medical treatment.

Families at First STEP are connected to caring teachers like Miss Jane who help our youngest patients and survivors (and their siblings) get back a part of their childhood they otherwise would have lost due to cancer. Mornings filled with free play, circle time, and arts and crafts are the memories we want our kids to have, versus visiting the hospital and being isolated at home.

Suffice it to say, our ASK kids and their siblings are in extremely capable hands when Miss Jane is helping them. We are grateful that she's chosen to share her valuable experience with our ASK community!

Click here to learn more about First STEP.