Ages: 3 ½ -5 years old
Child-to-Teacher Ratio: 10:1
Capacity: 10 in Preschool 2. 18 in Preschool 1 and 20 in Preschool 3.

At Peninsula, we believe that all children deserve and require a stable environment where they can build trusting relationships with supportive adults. Our classes are mixed-age groups of 3 ½ – 5-year-olds; mixed-age classrooms minimize the number of transitions during the preschool years. If a transition to another classroom during this time seems to be in the best interest of the child, we work closely with family and staff to make it a positive change for everyone.

Our Head Teachers in the Preschool Rooms are Barbara Christy, Janelle Grub and Belinda Parra. Barbara holds a BA in Elementary Education and has been at Peninsula since March 1995. Belinda Parra holds and AA in Early Childhood Education and started at Peninsula in October 2007. Janelle Grubb, who has been a preschool teacher for 25 years and is currently finishing her CDA, has been at Peninsula since May 2006.

Curriculum focuses on developing the life skills and attitudes that children need to succeed as individuals and as group members in a variety of social situations. These skills and attitudes include self-control, respect for others, curiosity, exploration, problem-solving, and early literacy. Children are encouraged to express themselves through language, creative play and the arts.

In these classrooms, we build on the self-help skills learned in the Junior and Toddler Rooms, plus we add more difficult tasks like working zippers & scissors and tying shoes. As children begin to prepare for kindergarten, they learn numbers, colors, and the alphabet – starting with the letters in their own names and moving on from there.

When they’re not in the classroom, the children in our preschool rooms spend a lot of time outside, where they are free to run, explore, and even help in the garden. Our preschool children love to celebrate the seasons – by taking field trips to pick pumpkins and visit baby ducks, through enjoying their yearly Thanksgiving feast, or by observing different seasons through the changes in the garden. Children explore science through a changing schedule of classroom activities, outdoor investigation, and through active engagement with our garden project.

Children transition out of our preschool program when they are ready to attend Kindergarten. If they attend one of the Portland Public Schools we serve, we hope they continue to receive care and education through our before and after school program.