Opinion on Children's Museum Preschool or Other Option

hi M.! We take our son to Creative minds learning center... They have 3 locations in Portland, and all are on the east side. They start taking kids at age 2, and they are wonderful! I can not say enough about them. Our son goes to the location on 146th and stark... we did have to pull him recently due to $$$, my husband has been laid off for a while, and money just got to tight, however, I know that as soon as my husband is back to work our son will be back! Good luck

Hi M.,

Opal School (at PCM) is based in the Reggio-Emilia philosophy; very experiential, which is what you find attractive. A few weeks ago, on a tour of other Reggio-based schools, I visited the Mentor Graphics preschool in Wilsonville, which may be closer to you. As someone who has worked with children for years, I was extremely impressed with the teachers there: they were helpful in explaining their process and, in their descriptions, seemed very connected to the children in their care. If you are looking for a supportive program that offers the fundamentals without forcing them, and allows children to explore their interests through play (which is how young children learn), the Mentor Graphics campus may be a good fit for your family. I'd highly recommend them.

That seems quite a drive! I don't know about that program (in fact, I didn't know they had a pre-school). But if you decide that it's not convenient or costs too much or something, I take my daughter to Y Childcare (YMCA), which goes from infants to All Day Kindergarten. My daughter has been there for three years now and I've been happy with it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

That one does look fantastic, although I haven't any experience with it. It does seem a long way to drive for a half day program. I have a friend with a child at Creative Minds and they LOVE it. Also I hear great things about Growing Seeds and New Day School Ananda Marga. You might want to look for any Waldorf based, other charter schools that are in SE (closer to you; I think there are several charter elementary schools that have preschool also) or Montessoris. Joyful Noise and Helen Gordon also have Reggio Emilia based programs. If you go to urbanmamas.com, they have a lot of posts on childcare, or you can re-ost your question there.
Best wishes.

Hi M.,
I have a great suggestion for you. The Milwaukie Cooperative Preschool is a wonderful, play-based preschool with a lot of parental involvement. The teacher is wonderful and has been there for nearly 20 years. My daughter is there and we love the connections our family has made to the school and other families too. My two daughters and I have made wonderful friendships over the years that have lasted beyond the preschool years. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a preschool that believes in learning through play. Their number is ###-###-####.