Jed Conklin, the gallery's current exhibitor, received First Place in NPPA's Portrait Series, Best…read moreof Photojournalism. For info about the award go to http://bop.nppa.org/2011/still_photography/winners/?cat=SPP Stop by the gallery before June 25 when Jed's TURNING CORNERS exhibit closes. Hours: Tue-Fri 12:00 to 6:00 p.m., Sat 1:00-6:00 p.m. OPen late First Fridays from 6-9 p.m.

Honestly shocked there aren't dozens of (positive) reviews here. Our son went to the North Portland…read morebranch of EV for about a year, until we moved away. Even through an incredibly turbulent COVID moment the staff was amazing - warm, approachable, and transparent. We really felt every day that they were happy to see our kid and sincerely cared about his well-being and happiness. And he LOVED them. Great facility in N PDX, lovely caretakers, frequent communication and photos for parents. It really felt like a family. We (the parents) cried over moving away and leaving EV. If you can send your kiddo there, do it!

Escuela Viva was my daughter's first daycare experience and I was very happy with it. At the time…read morethe daycare was located just blocks from my home and I could walk there every time I dropped my child off at the center. Often if I was having meetings in the neighborhood I would see the children out together with the caregivers on a walk. The school is dual language and when my daughter was in the infant and toddler program it was a very small, intimate group. The community of parents and kids at this school is very tight knit, vibrant and diverse socioeconomically. Tuition included all meals and supplies (other than diapers) and was comparable with most residence based centers. Angie, the owner, was always extremely upbeat, open and candid even with an overly concerned parent. I think this is why so many parents are so loyal to Escuela Viva and why the program continues to grow as each generation of kids in their care reach the next grade. Angie's vision and candor really help. Ultimately Escuela Viva built out a new center (which is amazing inside - by the way) that houses a variety of ages and is a really inspiring learning space. At the time I felt apprehensive about the new location. It is on a pretty rough corner in Portland and I appreciate the opportunity to teach my child compassion, but also felt the challenge was a bit beyond me at that point in my life. I felt insecure about my daughter's security. Angie was so awesome and sympathetic with my concerns and talked about a time when I might feel more comfortable sending my daughter there. She was totally candid with me and said other parents were expressing the same concerns and she outlined her plans to address those concerns in a meeting. The school also held social events for the parents to meet one another and this further allowed people to discuss their concerns openly with Angie and each other and - much more commonly - to just hang out and get to know each other and our kids. Since that time I have had the privilege to continue to interact with Angie. I knew that she'd want to have more green space on their huge lot. I connected Angie to depave and she took the ball and has been absolutely running with it. She has talked to the landlord, the city, parents with planning and design backgrounds and in a short period of time has everyone on board with a play area for the children that will reroute stormwater, beautify and area in need of greenery and create an activated, green playspace for the children. I do believe that once the greenspace is installed and when my daughter is more in need of a structured learning environment or bilingual preschool rather than a daycare environment that I will be back in Escuela Viva's program. As a parent it is very hard to have to hand your most precious possession over to other people many times a week. A good community, candid and sympathetic communication and a positive philosophy and practice at EV make it a little bit easier.

Greg has for years willingly worked with youth throughout our area and has brought The Last…read moreRegiment of syncopated drummers to preeminence nationally and internationally We are extremely fortunate to have Greg teaching and living in our community Mike Verbout

We've had two children attend Sweet Day in the last 4 years at their NE Broadway location. The…read moreexperience has been excellent. The leadership team is what makes this school so great - they hire well and cultivate a positive work culture among care providers that leads to a pleasant and caring mood within the classrooms each day. Leaders Kayla and Rita especially managed the COVID-19 epidemic phases with clear and open communication, making some tough calls through the various government rule changes, but always ensuring the decisions balanced safety and a high level of service to parents and children. The school is an even balance of enriching activities for some elements of a curriculum, but a lot if free play time too - we preferred this approach for our kids and they loved their time at the school.

My daughter has been attending Sweet Day since it opened almost three weeks ago. We love it. She…read moreloves it. The teachers and directors are welcoming and warm, the rooms have been set up in the most adorable way, with lots of light and wood furniture, and there are always fun little projects for the little ones to do. They have a fun outdoor play space and, somewhat surprisingly for the area, it is always easy to find close parking to drop her off. So far so good and we highly recommend.

Wonderful teacher training provided at my schooL by PDX Reading Specialists. Many practical, fun…read moreand hands-on approaches to learning. More students need this kind of learning. Thank you for helping students reach their full potential.

SWPCC is a wonderful context for preschoolers and their families. The coop format builds a…read morewonderful community surrounding children with many trusted adults. In the young toddler room (age 1-2) we love the 3 days/week schedule plus the ability to buy or trade days in a flexible manner as necessary!

Today was our first day at a new school. I took a long sigh of relief, I had not realized was…read morebadly over due. We left Southwest Parent-Child Collective this last year. Our feelings, mixed at best. We had many hopes and a great introduction to the school via visits both at the school with fellow parent's, and with our child's teacher. We were excited about the coop's nurturing environment, and cohesive community. While we believe our child's teacher was everything we could hope for and more, the parent environment was not okay. Not at all. In the coop, everyone has a role/job. I was nervous but excited about my role within the school it's community. The job, and the school ended up being a place, where I did not feel comfortable. The key role authority the "Co-Chair" never liked my ideas. The energy i put into ideas, and planning, was shot down, by this woman in charge. She seemed to go out of her way to be "helpful" in doing this. We had signed up for a "coop". Instead we got one person making rules, with no regard for others. The new $5 a minute punitive late fee - BAD news, but the way in which this "Co-Chair" put down another admirable member, behind her back to me, that was it. We were sad to leave the good of the school behind. The environment had become for us, the opposite of what was pitched to us. It seemed one bad apple, but then no one, including the other board members or teachers did anything to change the situation. Maybe we had the wrong idea of the school. I would not recommend Southwest Parent-Child Collective.

Having our daughter in Pea Pod during her toddler years was a wonderful experience! She thrived…read moreunder the loving care of the parent coaches, Tara and Jasmine, and other parents. I also learned a lot about parenting from our discussions and readings at our parent meetings (especially "No Bad Kids" by Janet Lansbury). The co-op experience is unique because you get to be in the classroom regularly along with a parent coach and two to three other parents each day. It creates a very special community experience, and you get to be there with your child as they learn and grow. As a new parent with a Covid baby, I was so thankful to find a strong community at Pea Pod. I'm still close with many other parents from our cohort, and I love that our kiddos have known each other for over half of their lives! Most importantly, I feel like my child was truly cared for, respected, and allowed to be herself at Pea Pod. This meant - and still means - so much to me. It was the best childcare experience I could've wished for during those two precious years of my daughter's life, and I would recommend Pea Pod to any parent looking for loving care and a community for themselves and their child!

Peapod is an unlicensed, unregulated co-op preschool operating out of Tabor Space in Portland. As…read moreof July 2025, they were cited by DELC for unlawful care. No license, no DHS oversight, no required training, and no accountability if a child is harmed. They employ Jasmine Kennedy, who is unregistered and has no early childhood education experience (confirmed via her own public LinkedIn profile). She doesn't lead activities or engage with the kids meaningfully. Crafts were never more than paint haphazardly smeared onto paper out blocks of wood. Never once did we see a semblance of any kind of planned lessons or sessional activities from this "teacher." (Even through peapod says she's not a teacher, she's listed as such on both their website and her own LinkedIn). Multiple children, including ours, disclosed being grabbed, yelled at, and made to feel unsafe by her. When we raised concerns, the board shut down communication, deleted our posts, and said we needed to "manage our energy" at drop-off. No one ever asked how our child was doing. A leaked multi-page board document reveals a disturbing pattern: after a child disclosed being hurt by Jasmine while alone with her, the board portrayed the parents as the problem. They called the mom manipulative, overly anxious, and mentally unwell, implied her concerns were racially motivated, and labeled both her and the child liars. Jasmine was described as emotionally overwhelmed and burnt out, with the document centering her discomfort, not the child's safety. Multiple other parents had also shared concerns about Jasmine being rough, but those were ignored as "boundary setting." Instead of addressing her behavior, the board unanimously voted to terminate the family's enrollment claiming the family was "a harm to the community." Since speaking out, Peapod leadership has labeled us mentally unstable, mirroring the retaliation described in their own records. Peapod uses community-friendly language, but behind the scenes it silences parents and protects unqualified staff at kids' expense.

Stumptown Kids is more than just a pre-school. Jenn and her staff go out of their way to create a…read morewelcoming and nurturing environment that keeps kids engaged, models kindness and self-reliance, and welcomes parents to be part of their child's "school life". Every day that I went there, it was a place of peace and kindness where kids are encouraged to grow in their own ways. The instructors were always responsive to questions and after-hours emails and stayed engaged with where our son was in his development. Since the class size is kept small, all of the kids know each other and their parents mostly know each other, leading to a real "family" atmosphere in the school. In addition, I was really pleased by the way they took any special needs in stride. My son with hearing loss (wore hearing aids) went here for two years. Jenn and her crew made sure that his needs were being met every day and never once made him (or us) feel like the "odd-man-out". They even changed the main room of the preschool to make it more sound-absorbing, so our son wouldn't be so overwhelmed with noise. When we needed to schedule speech therapists to come to the school for him it was never an issue. I would highly recommend Stumptown Kids to anyone considering sending their child there. It's run by real people who genuinely care about your kids and want to see them succeed. I was really sad to have to move on from here when it was time.

With both my daughters attending Stumptown Kids Preschool it has been our family's home away from…read morehome and I couldn't imagine my children spending their days anywhere else. Stumptown Kids is a play-based and child-centered preschool, which means the school values child development and listens to the what the individual children are communicating. My children have been able to explore and learn about the world around them in a safe and loving environment. I appreciate how the staff teaches the children how to take care of themselves both emotionally and physically. My second grader still eats her protein first from her school lunch, which is just one example of how she learned to take care of her body. What I have cherished the most is the sense of community that Stumptown Kids have instilled in my children. The school does this on a personal level by providing the tools for the children to support each other; and on the local level the school does this by taking neighborhood walks and regular visits to a nearby senior living community. The school itself is a beautiful space. Jennifer Loring, the owner, has taken great care to design a school that feels both welcoming and fun.