Freshman on The Hill

Photo by María Helena Carey

In the pantheon of mythical childhood figures, there is one that cannot be praised highly enough in Capitol Hill: Ms. Frances Slaughter.

The first time I heard her name, there was an echo of reverence in the voice of the person who said it.  As my son kept approaching the right age to join a three-year old program, her name kept popping up frequently in conversation.

Ms. Frances.

I decided I had to go meet her myself, during one of the scheduled open houses for the Capitol Hill Cooperative Nursery School (CHCNS), which is known around the Hill to those with and without children alike by her name alone.  And even though this was my first time meeting her, she immediately gave me a hug and a kiss and called my child “suga wuga.”  I was smitten, and so was he.  And now every time I see her, whenever I’m dropping off my child or whether I run into her around Capitol Hill, I always look forward to her easy laugh and her wonderful hugs.

Ms. Frances, born and raised in Washington, DC, has been caring for children since the mid-1980s.  Although she’s worked with kids of all ages, currently she “specializes” in the three-year old profile: she loves their curiosity and zest for life, and she seems perfectly suited to handle the stress and anxiety that the preschool years can bring to both children and parents.  When she started working for CHCNS, the co-op was located at a school very close to Results the Gym — which back then was a school as well.  After over twenty years and not quite as many locations, CHCNS operates as a parent-run cooperative that has served thousands of Capitol Hill preschoolers over the years.  The star and the constant of the program, however, is Ms. Frances: she seems to have a sixth sense as to what every child (and parent) needs from her, and she gives both her time and talents selflessly.  I have seen children, devastated to be left behind by their parents, stop crying and start laughing and playing right away under her patient and playful care.  And I have seen parents, devastated to leave their teary children behind or anxious to receive good news at pick-up time, soothed and reassured by the patient tone and loving embrace of Ms. Frances. And the way she peppers her warnings to children with reckless adventures from her girlhood is particularly sweet– although I must wonder about poor Ms. Frances’s own mother, who already had her plate full with seven other children!

This holiday season, I want to issue a special thank you to Ms. Frances on behalf of my family and all the families who have had the privilege of knowing her and seeing firsthand the magic she brings to her Suga Wugas.