Our Story
Avalon Village School began as the dream of owner and director, Jes Bradley. Growing up with a mother who was an in-home childcare provider (and eventually Jes's own kindergarten teacher!), many would say that early childhood education has always been a part of her identity. After moving to Portland for University, she began nannying for a family of five, and integrating learning curriculum into the family's routines. As the children grew, and she grew alongside them in her role as a caregiver, she finally felt like she had found the perfect outlet for her nurturing nature and passion for fostering learning.
When her nanny children eventually went off to elementary school, Jes moved on to a teaching role in a Montessori-inspired childcare center serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. There, she expanded her professional experience in early childhood education, and grew to love working in group care environments with other teachers and collaborators. With four years of classroom management experience now under her belt, she shifted to working in a nature-based in-home program, where she began as an assistant teacher and grew into a new role as a provider. During the following four years she spent serving a mixed-age cohort of children ages 2-5 years, everything began to make sense: creating a safe, nurturing environment that fosters a sense of community, compassion, and stewardship of our environment had become her passion.
After nearly a decade of learning from many mentors, colleagues, families and children, and with the encouragement of parents past and present, she decided to make a big leap and open her own certified in-home childcare program. Avalon Village School is that program, and our community is so excited to bring this dream to life for our families in the Portland area!
Our Mission
Our goal at Avalon Village School is simple: create a safe, loving space for children to grow into the people they will become. Through curriculum, play, and hands-on learning, we strive to foster compassion, collaboration, enthusiasm, courage, and kindness in all we do. In alignment with our Wondergarten Early Childhood curriculum, we integrate Waldorf philosophies and teaching methods to create learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom environment, allowing us to support holistic child development across all stages of growth.
Learning that takes place inside our center is focused on:
Kindness, empathy and community-mindedness through social skill building and peer behavioral modeling
Imagination and creativity through storytelling, art, music, and movement
Experiential learning with hands-on activities that allow children to engage deeply with materials
Teacher-student relationships, with teachers acting as guides to facilitate children’s natural interests and development
Limited technology, to encourage a child’s engagement with their world, community, and environment
Nature-based learning is an essential part of our programming at Avalon Village School. We use our time outdoors, to explore:
Opportunities to help others and make positive contributions to our communities
Each child’s connection to the natural world and their individual creative expression
Care and compassion for the natural environment through projects like gardening, recycling, composting, and more
Whether it is helping those in our school community, caring for the earth on which we live, or exploring the world beyond our walls, we hope to inspire a lifelong love of learning for every child in our program. Avalon Village School’s purposeful nature-based learning curriculum is designed to create a strong sense of self and a deep respect for others as children explore their world and see the first-hand impact of their creativity and knowledge.
Connect With Us
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3440 Southeast Holgate Boulevard Unit A, Portland, Oregon 97202
Open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm
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avalonvillageschool@gmail.com
(503) 387-9258 -
If you’re interested in touring Avalon Village School, please fill out our interest form and we will be in touch to schedule your family’s visit!