Urban Mamas

We just signed our 3.5 year old son up at Childswork also. It's only been a few weeks now, but wow am I impressed. We had a terrible experience at Apple Blossom (a quasi waldorf place by Laurelhurst park - DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD THERE! The director, Carrie, lied to me about the qualifications of her teaching staff and she has force fed kids.........) Anyway, so far our son was NOT happy the first day but the teachers have done a great job transitioning all the kids and they are just JOYOUS when we pick them up in the afternoon. I love seeing my son so happy and joyful after school, chatting all day long about what they did. Laurie and Sarah are my son's teachers, and they are fantastic.

wow
my son just finished up 2 great years at Childswork, in a 3-4 class and last year's pre-k class. i was very happy with his first teacher, patty. she seemed to really "get" him and allowed him to grow at his own pace and express himself in his own way. he had some separation anxiety for a bit mid-year and she and her aid were great at managing the situation gently and kindly. he loved going to school! this past year he was in a class for 4-5 year olds and i was not pleased with the teacher right off the bat, just got that feeling you get. i brought my concerns to michelle and while she was supportive of the teacher (of course) she could see i had real concerns and worries abut my son and that class. she immediately looked to see if any other classes had spaces open and luckily one did. it turned out to be a "designated pre-k" class (which is not advertised so ask about it when your child is that age!!!) and the teachers suzie and sally were just the best. i was so glad that i followed my gut and made the switch. so,as with all things and our children, ask and express! it seemed that they were open to requests for certain teachers when you hand in your paperwork for the next year and you can always go in and talk it out. i also got great help financially from them in a scholarship that made it possible for my son to attend the school. PLUS they hold camps whenever it is a holiday or pps closed day or summer break so you are not left wondering what to do when you have to work, but pps has no school in session every other monday in the fall! :) all in all we have great memories of Childswork and wish they had an elementary school so my son could keep going!

Hey,

Just wanted to chime in with a positive Childswork experience. My daughter went there last year and was in a class for 3 year olds, and will be returning this upcoming year in a class for 4 and 5 year olds. To be fair, my daughter was really ready for school and I don't think it was too difficult to please her in her first year of preschool. I felt like as long as she was happy and enjoying her first year of school, then I was happy. She had a great first year, loving her teachers, her new friends, and her classroom. It was so fun to watch her grow! We had heard so many wonderful things about Childswork from some many trusted parents in our community that we didn't apply to any other schools. We have been very happy there.

Our twins were at Childswork and we had a terrible experience. This may give me away, but I don't mind; this is just my experience.

Some friends told us about Childswork, and we wanted a pre-K program, so we enrolled our kids there. I was uneasy at first, unsure why, but gave it a chance. After numerous problems (large & small, one-time & ongoing), conversations with the teacher & staff, we pulled the kids out two months before the end of the year.

My opinion is that there are some very wonderful & caring teachers, and some who come up short. After we brought our specific concerns (safety, disrespect, etc) to the administration, we felt they were defensive, uncaring, and even rude. The experience was disappointing and surreal for my spouse & I. A couple of other families left before and after we did also and, to be fair, there were some families that seemed happy with the class.

We loved Tillamook Coop Preschool, which were were at the year before. But admission is luck of the draw lottery. Best to you in whichever school you choose.

We removed our child and I know of a handful parents over the years who did also.

Dealing with administration was infuriating. They are not supportive of parents when there is conflict. Everyone's experience is different, but I know many people have been disappointed with the staff and people who run the school.

I agree with the anon poster above me. Respect for children should be the cardinal rule at a preschool and it is not always observed at Childswork.

We had a horrible experience at Childswork and removed our child from the school There are some wonderful teachers and some less than marginal ones. The administration is unwilling to work with parents and are very rigid about following rules and procedures. The "procedures" are often detrimental to the development of the child.

Wow, ks. This is the first bad review of Childswork I've heard. I am signing my 3yo son up for a 3-5 class there in the fall. Would you mind emailing me privately to discuss teacher issues and such? The teachers he will have are new to me. My email is nalini210@msn.com.

I hear it's the luck of the draw there. Some teachers are good and some are definitely not. We were VERY unhappy with our experience there. And I have two other friends whose children are in their 3-4 class who also are not happy. I ended up pulling my child out after the first week because I was so disappointed with what I saw.

Some friends of ours send their son to childs work and they love it too. Next fall will start his third (?) year there. They say the teachers are very caring and that their somewhat shy son has really blossomed at the school.

My son went to Childswork for preschool and we loved it. They have a great approach with children. We were very happy there. If you want to talk about it more, feel free to email me. nalini210@msn.com.

I don't know about Child Work but I can tell you that the best kept secret is Tucker Maxon Oral school. We happened upon it by chance last year when we moved to Portland and it is truly wonderful (you can find some previous posts about it on this site). The school has a long history of teaching hearing impaired children to speak. A typical class combines mostly normal hearing with a few hearing impaired students. Because of their work with children with hearing loss, the teachers are highly qualified and committed to the school. You don't see the same turn-overs common to other preschool settings. Everyone at the school - teachers across the grade levels, administrators, etc knows my son and our family. It is a real community and my son's home away from home. They offer art and PE. The little ones are part of the school and its programs. They are integrating sustainability into the curriculum and the kids are participating in desiging and building the community garden (the chickens will be a big hit). I can't say enough good things about the place. You should definitely check it out. It is SE Portland's best kept secret.