Dutilh Church Hires Julie Willoughby to Lead Dutilh Preschool

-Published in 2021-

Julie Willoughby has a heart for preschool education and ministry.

As director of the Pre-K program and assistant at Grace Community Church’s preschool program until 2018, Willoughby was a beloved teacher and leader for five years. She briefly stepped away in 2019 to be home with her own preschooler, then opted to be at home for another year to support her children’s learning during the pandemic. As she looks forward to her youngest child heading into full-time school as a first grader this fall, Willoughby is eager to return to her professional passion of working in preschool ministry.

“Spend five minutes with Julie Willoughby and you will discover three things: she loves Jesus, she loves her family, and she loves children,” said Rev. Tom Parkinson, senior pastor at Dutilh Church. “That deep love, combined with her considerable gifts in leadership and early-childhood education, make her a great fit to lead Dutilh Preschool.”

Willoughby is exceptionally qualified for the role. With an undergraduate degree in communications and a master’s degree in elementary education, both from the University of Pittsburgh, Willoughby accepted a second-grade teaching position in Richmond, Virginia, after graduate school. She taught there for five years, where she worked closely with students and families to support student learning.

Willoughby and her husband Tom moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family in 2012, when they had their first child. That’s when Willoughby first began working in preschool education. She values her time at Grace Church, where she implemented preschool curriculum and designed lessons and activities for preschool classes. As part of her role, Willoughby recruited, equipped, and trained between 50 and 100 volunteers and created a monthly outreach program to connect families within the church community.

Her experiences in education and particularly with preschool education and leadership made this opportunity to serve as director of Dutilh Preschool seem like a perfect fit for Willoughby.

“I’ve grown such a heart for working with this age group because of working at Grace and also because of working with my own daughter during her time in preschool and kindergarten,” Willoughby explained. “I have a passion for preschool education and had just been talking with my husband about going back to work outside our home and how I wanted something where I could use both the leadership skills I’ve developed and my experience in preschool education. Three days later, I received the notice about the opening at Dutilh Preschool.”

Willoughby said the role is a perfect fit for her life and for her professional gifts, allowing her to be present to her own family – son Jonah is a second grader and daughter Claire is a kindergartener at Connoquenessing Valley Elementary School in Zelienople – while also listening to that pull she felt to step back into her calling to work in education and ministry.

“I am excited to get to work with preschoolers and their families, to support them, and to form relationships with them,” Willoughby said. “I am also so looking forward to being a resource and support for the teachers.”

Willoughby will officially begin as director of Dutilh Preschool on Monday, March 15. She’ll work closely with outgoing director Diana Barnett to ensure a smooth transition.

Rev. Parkinson said, “Building on the solid foundation laid by Diana Barnett, I am excited to see how Julie’s leadership will carry Dutilh Preschool forward as we continue our mission of providing excellent academic experiences while teaching children to love God, love others, and love to serve.”

Registration for fall 2021 classes at Dutilh Preschool is open now. For more information or to register, please visit https://dutilhpreschool.org.