MARIPOSAS PLAYSCHOOL - Key Persons
Claire has loved working with children throughout her life, and has many years of childcare and early education experience. Spending time with kiddos has shaped her way of moving through the world, whether as a summer camp assistant at the Audubon Society of Portland, a nanny, an enrollment coordinator in Head Start and Early Head Start settings, a childcare provider for local community organizing collectives, or the lead teacher in a local nature-based unschooling co-op. She graduated from Smith College with a double major in Gender Studies and Spanish, and has also worked as a full-spectrum doula and a yoga teacher for children, families, and pregnant folks. She lives in SE Portland with two grownups, two kids, two dogs, a cat, and a bunny!
Ozzy Awesomesauce is a smaller-sized Labradoodle. He spends some days with our playschool is extremely patient and tolerant. He loves kids of all ages and is hypoallergenic. He will be making occasional appearances and hopes to meet you soon!
Emily has a Master of Arts in Education from Lewis & Clark College and nine years experience as a Spanish Immersion Elementary teacher in Vancouver Public Schools. Emily worked as a bilingual arts teacher for the Multnomah County Library, SCRAP (scrapcreativereuse.org), and for the Skill Share Studio, an all ages arts learning studio that they founded in 2008. Emily lived, studied, and worked in Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico, and Nicaragua for a combined total of 3 years, learning traditional arts, Spanish and Native Quichua language. She has a creative approach to life, infusing music, movement, and play into all aspects of learning. Emily draws on unique skills such as ukulele, puppetry, circus skills, organic gardening, permaculture, theater & clowning games to enrich and engage the classroom.