About

Our playgarden is in a constant state of change supported by the seasons.

Our Philosophy

Little Root is a play based, outdoor LifeWays in-home program. We serve children ages 24 months to five years old. Most of our program is made up of ages two to four. We have a dynamic team of three co-teachers with a maximum group of 14 students.

We offer a rich curriculum based on imaginative play, movement and the natural world. At Little Root, play is inspired by storytelling, song and verse, as well as the activities of everyday life. We utilize unformed, natural toys, which supports a strong foundation for creative, abstract thinking.

We focus on nurturing the foundational senses of early childhood; life, movement, balance and touch. We play outdoors daily in our beautiful garden where children are encouraged to explore the earth with their full mind, body and spirit. We hold the core principals of LifeWays North America as a standard for our program.

We choose LifeWays for training because the philosophy speaks to what we believe to be important for the young, developing child. Here’s a bit from the LifeWays North America Website…

LifeWays^®programs recognize that human relationship and activity are the essential tools for all foundational skills for life. In infancy and early childhood, daily life experience is the “curriculum” through which your child experiences healthy life rhythms and routines. Beauty, comfort, security, and connection to the living world of nature form the basis for the “Living Arts:”

Domestic Arts—Children find joy in the practical and meaningful activities of daily life, laying a foundation for future academic skills, initiative and purpose.
Nurturing Arts—Your child will be nourished with natural foods, hair brushing, calming foot baths, daily outdoor time, and rest for full-day children.
Social Arts—Mixed-age groupings foster a secure relationship with the primary caregiver over time and provide the opportunity to be both a younger and older “sibling.”
Creative Arts—Imaginative play is enriched by story telling, puppet shows, artistic activities, crafts, music and singing.

Preschool For All

We are a Preschool for All (PFA) funded program. PFA connects 3 and 4 year olds in Multnomah County to free, culturally responsive and inclusive preschool experiences. For more information, visit our enrollment page.

Days
Tuesday – Friday. Hours are from 9am-12:30pm or 9am-2:50pm for returning students.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Little Root we embrace diversity. We work toward inclusive classrooms where all children can learn and thrive. We are mindful of representation in storytelling and the environment. We work to eliminate structural inequities that limit equitable learning opportunities.

Non-Descrimination Policy

At Little Root we strive to treat all people equally. It is our policy not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, veteran status or source of income in its educational programs, admissions policies, employment and general policies.

Acknowledgment of Harm
At Little Root we acknowledge we are in a process of learning about harm done to people who identify as BIPOC (Black, brown, indigenous, people of color). We lean into understanding how early childhood education has historically harmed BIPOC children and we seek to prevent harm from happening here at Little Root. In studies conducted by Yale University showed that Black children are three times more likely to be expelled from preschool than their white peers. Additionally children with learning disabilities are expelled from preschool at the rate of 5.4% vs. 1.2% of children without disabilities. We believe in courageous conversations both as staff and as a community as well as creating a bias free experience for children.

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