FAQ and Testimonials
What about academics?
Every parent wants to know that their child will be ready to succeed in kindergarten when the time comes. We see the three- four- or five year-olds as complete in themselves, and want to provide these preschool aged children with open ended and material rich environments where they can explore, question, and play. Within these environments children will have many opportunities with small and large group experiences, to participate in routines of the day, and to work on problem solving and self help skills. These experiences will create a strong base for children as they enter kindergarten. We also want children to develop a love and appreciation for reading, writing, and story telling, and have many varied experiences with literacy that will carry on into later years. Current research supports our philosophies that children at this age learn from play, and that it is through play that children develop the necessary skills for success in school. We want our alumni to have confidence in their own abilities, to be creative, to be risk-takers, to have social ability and compassion; these qualities are precisely the ones that will prepare them for the learning that is to come. Our graduates are very successful in elementary school and have the self-confidence and flexibility that truly makes them kindergarten-ready.
How old does my child have to be to attend Rose Creative?
Children may begin attending Rose Creative when they are 3 years old.
Does my child have to be potty-trained?
Yes. We are a preschool program, and so we are not licensed to change diapers. Children must wear underwear and be able to keep them dry. We understand that children have occasional accidents, and give children bathroom reminders.
How far in advance should I tour your school?
Now! We often have a fairly long wait list, so we encourage you to come in as soon as you begin thinking about a preschool program. Six months to a year before you expect to need care is a good rule of thumb. That said, we occasionally have openings mid-year when a family moves or experiences changes in their scheduling needs, so if you need care immediately, don't be discouraged from calling.
How do I set up a tour?
Just call or email our Owner/Director Kathryn Dorow at 503. 335.8319 katie@rosecreativepreschool.com
What should I expect at the tour?
We encourage you to bring your child along so that you can see how they interact with our environment. We will show you around our school and our teachers will chat with you about how our philosophy comes alive in the classroom. Plan on staying around half an hour to observe and learn about our school.
How do I get on the wait list?
First, email our director /owner Kathryn to answer any questions you may have and set up a tour. When you come for the tour, we will provide you with the information you need to join our waitlist or reserve a specific start date at our school if there is a space available.
Do you provide part-time care?
Yes. We have spots for children on three-day, four-day, or five-day schedules. We have limited spots for children needing half-day care, prioritizing full day care.
Can you work with our scheduling needs?
We try to be as flexible as possible with families and will create a schedule with you based on your needs and our availability. You may choose the days that work best for your family depending on availability at the school.
How do we transition into the program?
We suggest that you visit with your child a few times before their first day. We will schedule these visits with you for the week or so before their start date. On your first transitional visit, we suggest that you and your child spend about an hour with us, exploring our space, getting to know teachers and children, and starting to develop a sense of familiarity. On your second visit, we recommend that you settle your child in to an activity, and when you sense that they feel safe and engaged, you may want to leave for half an hour or so, perhaps to get a cup of coffee next door. A third visit can take place through lunch time, so that your child starts to feel the rhythm of our day. We know transitions are difficult. We are here to support your family during this time; we are happy to discuss the specifics of transitioning with you!
What are your hours?
We are open from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Children who are enrolled for full days may be here anytime between 8:00-4:00, we recommend children arrive by 9:00 at the latest so they can fully participate in the morning. Families are welcome to pick up in the afternoon as late as 4:00pm, but are welcome to pick up earlier if it suits their schedules. Half day children are welcome to attend between 8:00-12:30.
What is your schedule of the day?
This is a general outline of the rhythm of our day, which is adjusted as needed on a daily basis based upon children's needs and interests. We are always open to extending our play times or outdoor times if children are engaged and could benefit from a few more minutes!
8:00 Arrival and Morning Choice Time
9:15 Morning Snack
9:45 Gathering Time/Community Meeting
10:00 Outdoor Courtyard/Climbing Structure (classrooms alternate these activities during the morning)
10:45 Resume Morning Choice Time
11:30 Climbing Structure/Outdoor courtyard (alternated)
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Half day children pick up
12:45 Rest Time begins
1:45 Wake Up/Afternoon Choice Time
3:00 Afternoon snack
3:30 End of the Day Gathering Time/Stories
3:45 Outdoor Courtyard/Climbing Structure
4:00 School Closes
Do you provide meals?
Families send a morning and afternoon snack as well as a lunch for their children each day. We find this best meets children's specific dietary needs, reduces food waste at our school, and allows families to be in charge of what their child is eating. We do enjoy cooking activities in our classrooms on a regular basis, and the school provides food for these activities. We provide organic cow milk, oat milk, or water at lunch time.
What does outdoor time look like?
Both of our classrooms enjoy outdoor time, year round, in our courtyard. We have an old magnolia tree, a treehouse, opportunities for climbing on our climbing web and wooden arch structure, garden beds where we grow plants and veggies, deep sand for lots of digging and building, and a large magnetic wall that we use for ramp building. We also enjoy water play in the courtyard with lots of pouring and mixing with the help of our water pump.
We combine the use of our courtyard with walks around our neighborhood to enjoy the sunshine, jump in puddles, collect leaves in the fall, or look for signs of spring. Sometimes we walk as far as the east end of Grant Park, where there is a large field and a grove of trees we like to play in.
Do you take field trips?
We do! We go on "exploring our neighborhood" walking field trips and visit places in our neighborhood. We are lucky to have Trader Joes, the Hollywood Theater, Fleur de Lis Bakery, the Hollywood Library and many more places to explore within walking distance. We also have a relationship with the Hollywood Senior Center across the street from us. We join the seniors for crafts, singing, musical performances, and even participated an intergenerational yoga class!
**We are currently not taking field trips due to covid, and will revisit the possibility when covid is no longer a risk in our community.
How do you handle conflict?
Our method of assisting children in resolving conflict is respectful, acknowledges children’s feelings, and encourages them to learn how to eventually solve problems on their own. We help children to reflect on their actions, let them know how their actions affect others, and then give them a positive alternative. We believe every child is unique and so is the resolution process. Teachers are modeling empathy, as this is still developing in children during the preschool years.
We see conflict as a “teachable moment”, and we encourage the development of problem solving skills with individuals, small groups, as well as a whole classroom.
What about teacher qualifications and retention?
We ask our teachers to make a year long commitment when they begin teaching at our school, and ideally teachers stay for longer as this benefits children, co-workers, and families greatly. We provide a competitive package for our teachers including regular raises, health benefits, and paid continuing education in the field to do our part to ensure longevity in our program.
Our teachers hold either degrees in the education field or a relevant field combined with experience teaching in early childhood classrooms. We value the many diverse backgrounds that our teachers come from and know that there are many fantastic early childhood teachers that may have started out pursuing other fields and have found teaching to be their passion. We continue our journey as educators together, and value growth and the discovery process as learners ourselves.
What Covid safety measures do you have in place?
We have been operating with small stable groups (10 children/classroom) since Fall of 2020 to ensure we are being as safe as possible while Covid still exists in our community. We require that all teachers be fully vaccinated and boosted and it is strongly recommended that children be vaccinated when their families are ready to do so (we currently have a 99% covid vaccination rate for children in the school).
Parents drop off and pick up outside our school to limit exposure. We have quarantine policies in place for exposures and positive cases. Windows and doors are propped open as much as possible and our time outdoors in our courtyard is maximized.
Face coverings are required when case levels of Covid and other respiratory illnesses are high, and otherwise strongly recommended if a child or teacher has illness symptoms or a sick member in the household. Our current families are surveyed when our face covering policy changes, to ensure all of our families feel comfortable with the decisions being made.
Testimonials
We absolutely love Rose Creative Preschool! We've been attending before the school closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and re-opened as an emergency daycare/preschool in September 2020. So, we've had a chance to see how the school handles the stressors the pandemic has brought, including staffing changes. We can not speak highly enough of our child's classroom head teacher: so engaging, fun and you can tell she really loves the children. The director has maintained great communication with parents, keeping us in the loop with all that happens and is receptive to open dialogue. Plus, they adhere to strict sanitation practices which is reassuring. My only hope is that they stay open and can ride the rest of the "pandemic wave", as my child loves it so much! We feel lucky to have Rose Creative in our lives!
-Parent of a 5 year-old student
We love this hidden gem! Our daughter wakes up excited to go to school and the teachers have been amazing. They go above and beyond writing blogs, taking photos for the parents to be able to see what their kid is doing and telling us first hand something special our daughter did or said that day. There are always creative outlets for the children to explore their world. We made the best choice in signing up our daughter here. She has made many friends and the parent connections we have made have been awesome too. I couldn’t ask for a better transition experience for her before she starts Kindergarten.
-Parent of a four year-old student
We are so happy that we chose Rose Creative as a first preschool experience for our daughter and will soon be sending our youngest there too! The kids love the activities, the painting, the climbing structures and all the different hands on crafts that keep them busy. It is so close to our home and walking to and from school has become a huge part of our day. The teachers love what they do and have so much patience with all the different needs of the kids. We can’t thank the teachers enough!
-Parent of a three year-old student
We are on our second child at Rose Creative. All the teachers at the school have been wonderful and my children have been very connected with them. They have a play-based curriculum which allows the children to explore and they ensure outside time daily. This school has been wonderful for our family.
-Parent of a former student and a four year-old student
We are on our 3rd kid at Rose Creative. The school has really helped develop our kids' imaginations/creativity, grow more confident, and navigate friendships. The teachers throughout the years have all been wonderful and warm. We love that they share photos at the end of the day showing what kids have been up to! I was unfamiliar with the different preschool philosophies out there when we started, but have really loved the play-based curriculum that they use here. Wonderful!
-Parent of two former students and a three year old student
Our daughter is just finishing up preschool here and we love the variety of activities that Katie and her team provide to the kids, both gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Activities and play are child led with so many choices throughout the day. Bonus is that we got to know several of our neighbors, as the kids were all in class together.
-Parent of a five year-old student
Our child has been a student for about a year and a half at Rose Creative Preschool. I could write a book about our love for Rose Creative, so I’ll do what I can to keep this review short.
From communicating with parents to teaching and classroom management, Katie (the owner) and her staff are professionals on every level. They also seem to have only one goal: helping children thrive.
Katie and staff are great communicators, especially during this pandemic. They send emails regularly about the children’s classroom activities and keep us in the loop about schedule updates and safety precautions. And, they always seem to have time for a face-to-face check-in.
These days, a family has so many extra things to worry about; thankfully, preschool isn’t one of them. Our kid literally bounces into class during drop-off (after a health check, of course), bounces out the door during pick-up, and then asks us about preschool on the weekends. Our child has fun each day and is blossoming through each physical, emotional, and cognitive milestone.
I am a teacher at college-level, so I know nothing about teaching preschool-aged children. However, as a teacher, I can tell Katie and her staff at Rose Creative have an exceptional level of training and empathy. Furthermore, I cannot imagine wrangling a pack of 3-5-year-olds for seven or eight hours a day. They make it look easy, which is a feat for any level of teaching.
These are formative years for our preschooler. My partner and I are beyond grateful for the positive, lifelong impact Rose Creative is having on our child.
-Parent of a four year-old student
Both of our children have attended this wonderful little preschool under the leadership of Director and now owner Katie. Our children both came (our son, now in 1st grade) and currently our daughter, come home happy, excited to share what they have done that day and what they have learned.
This is the type of preschool I would open myself as a former educator. The kids get to participate in structured and unstructured play, indoor & outdoor play and drive their own independence and relationships. Highly recommend this wonderful neighborhood preschool!
-Parent of a three year-old student
I can't express how much we love Rose Creative! It's truly a magical place. Not just in appearance, but also in spirit. Our child is thriving. He's really taken to the creative environment, and his little inner artist is in full bloom. When he is there I feel like he is safe, nurtured, challenged, and stimulated. I'm so glad we found Rose Creative!
-Parent of a 4 year-old student
What a magical place! Our 4 year old has been attending this year and absolutely loves his time there. The teachers and staff are amazing people who are very caring, thoughtful people. We get extensive weekly recaps and photos sent, so we can see and hear about the experiences our child has had and what they've been learning about. The level of care and attention given to the development, safety, and health of our child has given us an extreme sense of comfort. I would highly recommend this preschool to any parent looking to have their child attend!
-Parent of a four year-old student
Our family is SO in love with Rose Creative Preschool. The teachers are incredibly talented, not to mention joyous, kind, creative, and patient. Our child is thriving and our family is so grateful to have such a magical space for him to grow and learn. There is so much opportunity to be creative and explore both in groups and independently. They space is dynamic and the teachers set up incredible projects. They are extremely effective at combining structure and curriculum with flexibility towards the curiosity, needs, and interest of each specific child. The expansive indoor space includes swings and multiple indoor treehouses so kids can move their bodies year-round, which I love. They truly try to bring the natural world indoors and set up a world of exploring outdoors. It is an incredibly magical and special place that feels like home to our family. I can't recommend it enough.
-Parent of a four year-old student
Rose Creative Preschool 3918 NE Hancock St. Portland, OR 97212