Stephanie Rodriguez
JIM Enterprises: Passing the Torch
Story by Alexandra Krueger
As the Founder of JIM Enterprises, a premier local tutoring company, DeeAnn Moore Antonini knows just how much the education landscape has changed over the past 20 years.
From the No Child Left Behind Act of the early 2000s that led to a boom in the tutoring industry to the Every Student Succeeds Act that spelled the end of that boom, to COVID-era distance learning and post-COVID learning loss, JIM Enterprises has seen and weathered it all.
“In the early days, there were over 300 tutoring companies that were a part of No Child Left Behind,” recalls DeeAnn. “But after the federal funding went away, they were all eliminated. My company was one of the few that survived, because we valued quality over quantity.”
As a former teacher, DeeAnn launched JIM Enterprises (or Jump Into Math) back in 2006 in response to the need for tutoring services. But she had no idea just how successful her company would become.
In its inaugural year, JIM Enterprises began contracting with school districts, tutoring 75 to 80 students after school from Lodi Unified School District. By 2012, they were working in 48 school districts with three office locations in Stockton, Watsonville and Fresno.
To answer the growing need for support, they expanded their program offerings from their student-focused curriculum, Jump Into Math, to a student- and parent-focused program, Jump Into English. This new program would empower parents to improve their English language skills.
Today, post-COVID learning loss has created yet another boom in the tutoring industry, but this time, DeeAnn plans to pass the torch to a new leader, Chief of Operations Stacey Foster, who’s been with JIM Enterprises since 2010. “Stacey came in as the Administrative Assistant and worked through every position in the company. She’s smart, quick and dedicated,” says DeeAnn. “This year, we’re working with 15,000 to 20,000 students, and Stacey is the reason that happens flawlessly. She’s the cog in the wheel that every spoke goes to.”
Leading the charge with Stacey Foster is Jacquelyn Sensibaugh, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. While Stacey handles the administrative and business side, Jacquelyn is out in the field handling the operational and instructional side. “I love visiting our sites and seeing our program in action,” says Jacquelyn. “It’s really rewarding when I can pull up a data report and I can see they’ve made over four months of growth in an eight-week period.”
Dedicated to supporting the students of the Central and Coastal Valleys, Stacey and Jacquelyn work with a dynamic young team of educators and businesspeople from a variety of different backgrounds. “It’s a really positive work atmosphere to be a part of,” says Stacey. “We have an open-door policy so it’s a very cooperative, collaborative dynamic.”
“The collaborative piece is huge,” adds Jaquelyn. “We all bring a different skillset to the table, and that makes for a really great model for teamwork.”
Key team members include Operations Manager Elizabeth Herrera, who handles materials, logistics, communication with parents and para instructors out in the field. Then there’s Camilo Cardona, who leverages his expertise to work with parents and promote Jump Into English curriculum as Account Representative. Director Elyse Muscha helps develop curriculum while while overseeing the training for instructors, para-instructors. “DeeAnn really set the tone that this is a team environment,” says Stacey. “We all have our specific roles, but we work as a team, collaborate as a team, and succeed as a team.”
And as for the future of JIM Enterprises, Stacey and the team plan to continue DeeAnn’s work with students and parents while growing their newest program, Educator Empowerment. This program provides professional development for teachers.
“I see education as a powerful tool for the families that we serve,” remarks DeeAnn. “If we successfully support our students and parents as they achieve their educational goals, then we’ve done our job.”
