‘Discovering You’ hopes to have positive impact on area youth

By Kyle Mooty

LPR Editor

Marie Jackson is doing her part to make the future of Caldwell County brighter by working with those who may be running things in Caldwell County several years down the road.

As the owner/director of Discovering You Child Development Center, Jackson has her teachings and influence cloaked on dozens, ranging as young as 6-weeks-old to 12 years of age.

But miracles, she said, need to start at home.

Jackson has a policy that if children don’t adhere to the daycare program, they can be asked to leave.

“We’ve had kids at young as 6 months throw tantrums,” Jackson said. “Miracles start at home. Parents should not allow tantrums at home.”

With more than 30 years as a licensed director at several daycare centers, Jackson is also a licensed chef. However, her only previous tie to Caldwell County was a friend, Dexter Roland.

“I was looking for a place to cater,” Jackson said. “I started doing a lot of weddings in the Austin area. When (Roland) asked me, she said ‘Lockhart needs you.’ I prayed about it and said, ‘Lord, you said go and take the love of the Lord to Lockhart.’

“So, I picked up my two daughters and one granddaughter, as well as my sister, and moved to Lockhart. I had to do a lot of convincing, because my oldest daughter was living in Georgetown, and she loved it there.”

Jackson found a home large enough to house her family and run a daycare out of, but she spent much time cleaning.

“I ran or directed several daycares, but I had never owned one,” Jackson said. “I ran one in Round Rock at an in-home daycare, but Covid shut me down.

“Being new to Lockhart, the trust wasn’t great at first. I dealt with a lot of pushback. I just kept fighting and said, ‘God, I know what you said to do.’ I kept the faith and kept going.”

Covid was when Jackson decided to go to culinary school, where she got her license as a chef. She opened a food truck in Pflugerville, but during the first month she opened, rain happened for 28 of the next 30 days.

“Food trucks don’t do well in the rain,” she said.

Therefore, after her friend’s urging, Jackson moved to Lockhart and started her daycare.

“Starting in Lockhart was rough in the beginning, but there have been rewards all along the way,” she said. “We now have a self-sufficient center. We are training parents too, getting them some tools.”

Discovering You Child Development Center provides breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack to its kids.

“Some of these kids get no vegetables at home,” Jackson said. “We teach how to make vegetables, fun and having kid friendly meals.”

Discovering You has some part-time kids, but most are full-time. The daycare is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are four full-time employees, one substitute teacher and one volunteer. Recently, funding became available for a school building, which the center is licensed for up to 17 school-age students.

Discovering You has a motto: ‘Daily Discoveries.’

“Our goal is for each child to discover something daily that can be shared as a milestone, or just another fun thing that was discovered for that day,” Jackson said. “Daily Discoveries are a way of life.”

Discovering You started with five boys, then added another five boys. Jackson wondered where the girls were. Before the first girl was enrolled, she had 13 boys.

“They come and they go,” Jackson said. “We are licensed for 67 overall, but right now we have 30 enrolled.”

The daycare center is located at 2501 N. Colorado St., right next to Generations Church and its drive is next to the ‘Welcome to Lockhart’ sign.

“We are a Bible based company,” Jackson said. “We teach them the Lord‘s prayer. Of course, we have a curriculum to go by. There’s a different theme every month to month. We will teach them the ABC’s and all about colors, but the biggest thing is teaching them socialization skills. I’ve had teachers tell me that if daycares would teach socialization skills, they could get other things done.

“We teach them how to be kind to one another. We teach some manners. We believe in ‘yes sir’ and ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘thank you.’ You wouldn’t believe how some of them are these days. I remind them every day that they are only two or three or four, and that it is the adults, our job, to keep them safe.”