• Detroit educator and Brightmoor native Jessie Feliz opens a multilingual learning center at 20441 Schoolcraft, offering afterschool programming, adult education and inclusive programming for neurodiverse children
• The opening marks the 201st Motor City Match ribbon cutting and Mayor Mary Sheffield’s first since taking office
• Feliz says the goal is to bring joy back to learning and increase bilingualism in Detroit’s communities – nationally, bilingual workers earn an average of 19% more than their English-only peers.
• A $50,000 Motor City Match grant funded key renovations including an ADA-compliant ramp, new steps, painting and a new HVAC system – as part of more than $21 million in total cash grants awarded across 30 program rounds

Mayor Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) today celebrated the opening of the Jessie Feliz Learning Center, a multilingual, community-centered learning space in the Brightmoor neighborhood. The event marked the 201st Motor City Match ribbon cutting — and the first for Mayor Mary Sheffield since she took office, demonstrating her administration’s focus on investing in small businesses across Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Founded by educator and Detroit native Jessie Feliz, the Jessie Feliz Learning Center serves children, families and educators through programming rooted in joy, movement and inclusion. When Feliz returned to Detroit in 2017 after years of teaching in places like Baltimore and Costa Rica, she came home with a mission to bring joy back to learning and increase bilingualism in Detroit communities.

“I always wanted my own space outside of my home,” Feliz said. “I love working with kids, but I wanted a place where children and families could feel safe, welcomed and supported. It seems like I was positioned to be here.”

Mayor Sheffield presents Jessie Feliz with the Mayor's First "Rise Higher" award, at the opening of the Jessie Feliz multilingual learning center in Brightmoor, thanks to a grant from the DEGC's Motor City Match Program.

Nationally, bilingual workers earn an average of 19% more than their English-only peers, according to a Preply analysis of more than 9,500 U.S. job listings, and the benefits go beyond the paycheck. Research shows fluent bilingualism can delay Alzheimer’s symptoms by up to five years and builds the cross-cultural communication skills that matter in diverse cities.

“Motor City Match works because Detroiters like Jessie are working hard to provide strong services for our community,” Mayor Sheffield said. “Jessie came home, planted roots and built a space that strengthens families and supports children. I’m proud to celebrate this business during my first Motor City Match ribbon cutting as mayor.”

Feliz, who grew up a few blocks from her new center, first entered the Motor City Match ecosystem as a Develop track awardee before earning a $50,000 cash grant through Round 22. The funds backed a suite of improvements including interior and exterior painting, new stair steps, an ADA-compliant ramp and a new HVAC system.

For Feliz, the physical space is only the beginning.

“I can’t escape my mission, which is to bring joy back to learning,” she said. “I want teachers to feel supported, I want families to better understand their children, and no matter the situation, you can still find joy. I’m supposed to be here to bring this center to life. This is just the start of it.”

Mayor Sheffield joins with Jessie Feliz and her friends and supporters, as well as Motor City Match leadership, to cut the ribbon on her new business, located on Schoolcraft in Brightmoor. 

The center offers afterschool programming Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. for children ages 5 to 12, including Spanish instruction, tutoring, dance and arts-based learning. A signature offering is Sensory Superstar Sundays, a program created for children on the autism spectrum and other neurodiverse learners. Feliz, whose son is autistic, also developed dance programming for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, letting participants experience rhythm and movement by feeling the beat.

Feliz’s trademarked language-learning curriculum, Spanish Swag, is used by schools and organizations in Detroit, across Michigan and as far as Georgia. The center also offers adult Spanish and American Sign Language courses.

The Jessie Feliz Learning Center currently employs four staff members, three of whom are Detroit residents. Feliz plans to expand staffing as summer programming grows. The center has capacity to serve up to 30 students at a time.

“The work Jessie has put into this community speaks for itself,” said Sean Gray, senior vice president of Small Business Services at the DEGC, which manages the Motor City Match program. “Motor City Match exists to give entrepreneurs like her the resources to go further, and that’s what this space does for Detroit families.”

Through 30 rounds of Motor City Match:

• Total cash grants: $21 million (Total leveraged investment: $111 million)
• 84% of awardees are minority-owned
• 72% are women-owned
• 70% are owned by Detroit residents

About Motor City Match

Motor City Match is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Motor City Match applications are available quarterly. More information is available at MotorCityMatch.com.

Jessie Feliz grew up in Brightmoor, then left to teach in Baltimore and Costa Rica. Today, she kept her promise to Brightmoor by opening her new learning center in her native neighborhood.