urbanMamas Portland

You're warmly invited to The Willow Tree Preschool Open House Saturday, February 7th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

The Willow Tree  Preschool is a home based part day preschool program for children 3-5 years of age. Our strong emphasis on art and nature allows children to care for plants, animals, and one another in a warm nurturing environment. At the Willow Tree, children's natural sense of awe and wonderment about the world around them is nurtured through creative thinking, movement, song, and story.Our warm loving teachers encourage children to explore and build meaning through their experiences every day.
 
You can visit our website at http://www.willowtreepreschool.com
 If you plan to attend please RSVP to Kim at 503-283-0619 or kim@willowtreepreschool.com

Hi! My name is Carrie. I am a stay at home mom looking for a family or families in need of a part time nanny.  I am open to a single family job or multiple families.  I have an 18 month old daughter named Olivia who is a joy to be around. It would be wonderful for me if I could find a family who wouldn't mind me bringing her along.

I have been working with children for most of my life. I started "working" at a daycare when I was 10 years old. You could say given this fact that I have been working with kids off and on for 25 years!! After graduating from high school, I was a preschool teacher for 4 years. I then moved on to become a nanny for one of the families at the preschool. I worked with them every day for three years and after moving away to go to college worked every summer thereafter for three more years. I am still friends with the Wobbs and consider them to be very much like my own family. After my nanny job I taught in a Montessori school for 2.5 years. I then went back to school to get my elementary school teaching license. After completing this, I became a substitute teacher until I had my child. Since then, once a week I have been trading childcare with another mother whose child is also 18 months old.  I have found that Olivia is incredibly happy being around other children...and really so am I.

I do not have a current CPR card but I have taken the class several times. I do need to take a refresher in order to renew my card. I have also taken first aid and several classes on child development and psychology. I have a 2004 Subaru with current insurance and a terrific driving record. I taught my daughter infant sign language which has been an incredible benefit during these transition into the toddler years! I LOVE the Children's Museum and the Portland Zoo. I have been meaning to make it up to OMSI but keep getting distracted by the other fantastic places in and around Portland!

If I sound like a match for you and your family please give me a call: 503.335.6983. Thanks!!

I recently read an amazing article about children attending an outdoor school in Switzerland where the kids are literally outdoors for the entire school day.  I was happy to find that something like this exists in Portland when I was told about the Waldorf Shining Start School that has a preschool "course" for 3-4 year olds at the Tryon Life Community Farm.  Has anyone had any personal experience with this type of thing or this program specifically?  Any input would be greatly appreciated!

MPS, a nationally-acclaimed co-op preschool in the heart of SW Portland, is having it's annual open house on Monday Jan. 26th at 6:30pm (kids are welcome!).  Once honored as a "Top 10 U.S. Preschool" by Child Magazine, it is currently the only co-op in PDX accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  MPS features a unique anti-bias curriculum and provides top-notch education at surprisingly affordable tuition.  If you live near SW PDX it's worth checking out on Monday!  RSVP 503-244-9141.

I'm searching for any info on preschools with openings.  We are relocating to the Southeast by Laurelhurst park and my 6 y.o. will attend Sunnyside Environmental  and I'd like to send my son to a preschool 2 or 3 1/2 days/ week.  He's 4. 

By the way, can anyone give kindergarten teacher recs for Sunnyside Environmental? 

Thanks in advance for any help!
Meg Hartley

Do you have a dream for your child to learn a second, or even third, language and to be able to share that knowledge with peers doing the same? We had that dream for our son and as a result, in 2006, I joined with other Italian speakers to found a small Italian language immersion school, La Scuola Italiana di Portland (The Italian School of Portland). We have a a wonderful lead teacher under whose tutelage our son and his Italian skills have flourished. Fundamental to his success has been his exposure not only to a talented native-speaking teacher, but to a group of children who share the same experience.

La Scuola Italiana di Portland (The Italian School of Portland) offers age-appropriate language immersion classes for children ages 3-12 who are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level.  Most classes are taught on the weekends, with some after-school offerings, and held at a central location.  We also offer a separate Italian language immersion preschool, based on the Reggio-Emilia method, during weekday mornings, open to children who are at least 36 months old.

La Scuola Italiana brings Italian language and customs directly to children, fostering bilingualism as well as an appreciation for world civilizations that intersect with the Italian culture.  Because it most closely resembles Latin, Italian is an ideal second language to learn, serving as a springboard to Spanish, French, and others. Current research shows that children with early-age proficiency – or even small amounts of second language instruction – demonstrate superior problem-solving skills and enjoy better school performance overall. The school's goal is to facilitate this enhanced educational experience when children are young and most receptive to learning a foreign language.

For more information on the Reggio-Emilia approach to childhood education visit:
http://www.reggioalliance.org/index.php

For more information on the Scuola Italiana di Portland you can visit our website at:
www.scuola.us
Contact us directly at:
info@scuola.us

The Willow Tree is a home based half day preschool program for children 3-5 years of age. Our strong emphasis on art, seasonal cycles, and nature allows children to care for plants, animals, and one another in a warm nurturing environment. At the Willow Tree, children's natural sense of awe and wonderment about the world around them is nurtured through art, movement, song, and story. Our play based approach encourages children to explore at their own pace building meaning through their experiences.

Our annual Open House for prospective families is Saturday, February 7th 2009 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Feel free to visit the website http://www.willowtreepreschool.com

kim@willowtreepreschool.com 503-283-0619

My husband and I are currently looking for a full-time nanny share (M-F, 7:30 - 5:30) for our 10-week-old daughter, with a desired start date of February 2. We had originally arranged for her to be in daycare when my maternity leave ends, but have recently decided that we would prefer to have her cared for by a nanny instead, and we are seeking another family for a nanny share. We are flexible on whether care would occur in our home or the other family's, or some combination of both. We have a dog and 2 cats and are both non-smokers. We live in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of NE Portland.

We are currently interviewing nannies and would be happy to include the other family in the nanny selection process. Alternately, if you already have a nanny and are interested in sharing him/her with us, we would be interested in that as well. In terms of our parenting philosophy, we are definitely hoping to find a nanny who is experienced in infant care; committed to doing fun, creative activities with our daughter; knowledgeable about child development; and who will spend lots of time holding her and interacting with her - no TV for sure.

If this sounds like a fit, please e-mail me so we can set up a time to get together to talk further: marian.j.hammond@gmail.com

I just wanted to share some information about Creative Children's Center in Beaverton.  My son has been going there since he turned 2 and we love the school.  CCC is Oregon's largest parent-child cooperative preschool and Kindergarten.  They actually have programs from 14 months to 6 years of age.  I love being a part of my son's school experience and my husband actually parent helps once a month, so he gets to have his own special time with my son at school.  It's been fantastic seeing my son become an independent child.  He loves school and wants to go everyday!

They're holding an open house on Saturday, January 17th & Saturday, February 21st from 9:30am to 12:30pm.  There also visitation days available during the week on January 21, January 27, February 4, and February 10th.  Visitation hours are from 9:30 to 11:30am.

You can get more info on the school at www.creativechildrenscenter.com

The school is located at 2515 SW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006

Feel free to contact the school with any questions at 503.591.0604

I am starting to research options for infant childcare and was curious about other mama's experiences. I am in NE Portland and am a teacher, lucky enough to not need childcare until August, 2009.  I will have a 7 month old at that time. I have found lists and lists of providers, but am feeling overwhelmed trying to narrow it all down.

Is anyone using a daycare center that takes infants that they love?  Are you using an in-home provider that is amazing? I am the first in my circle to have a kid so would really appreciate any recommendations.