Since 1983, Whole Child Montessori Center has nurtured a warm and engaging school community for Portland families with little ones aged 3-6 (preschool-kindergarten). We offer a rich, interactive Montessori environment that fosters curiosity, joy, a lively intellect, and social harmony.
At Whole Child, we provide loving, nurturing guidance and a safe place to learn and grow. At the heart of our community are two beautiful Montessori classrooms and a lush outdoor space that invite children to explore, discover, and put their hands and bodies to work.
In our mixed-age classrooms, children have endless opportunities for social growth as they freely choose to work together and alone, as older children give patient help to their preschool friends, and as younger children strive to do what the big kids can. We nurture kindness, courtesy, and consideration for others.
Each classroom offers interest and intellectual challenge with Montessori materials that assist even the youngest preschool child in developing fine motor skills, in building concentration and independence, and in tackling math and language concepts eagerly.
Our integrated indoor and outdoor environments support children in their physical development by offering challenges big and small. From carefully pouring water to walking heel-to-toe on the line to climbing, sliding, galloping and jumping, it feels good to be at Whole Child!
From our unique and beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces to our strong foundation in Montessori practice to our involved and connected community, Whole Child has a lot to offer every family.
Now that I know what to look for in a Montessori classroom, it is just remarkable to watch children independently initiate their work, solve problems, and help each other. The way that lessons build on and reinforce each other ’til the child is ready for the next step – and the way they allow children to learn not just theoretically but to almost physically embody the concepts – is brilliant. Sitting in the classrooms, I loved watching the arc of activity for each child in the classroom: from the transition period between work to getting set up to doing the chosen work to cleaning up (and all the little diversions and social interactions and problem solving that went along with each step!), it was so exciting to see on how many different planes the children are learning. And I would be remiss not to mention how impressed I was by the way the adults interact with and guide the children. They are all so capable and so caring, and it’s obvious to me that they get a lot of joy out of the children. All I can say is that we feel so fortunate to have our daughters as a part of the Whole Child community. They are thriving in very large part to the loving care of everyone at WCMC.
“I enjoy the caring, nurturing, safe environment that inspires my child to do great things every day. I feel she is loved, and she is being guided to build her knowledge, to practice good communication, and to learn compassion for others.”
“Our school community is the kind of conscious and caring community that people dream of when they pick a preschool. It is the kind of deeply felt sense of belonging and pride that Whole Child fosters that brings forth the abundant expression of giving just the right things.”
“Our daughter is getting the best education there is while being surrounded by love, support, and compassion. We value everything that Whole Child is.”
“I like everything about Whole Child. I know that’s a blanket statement, but it’s absolutely true.”
“I value that my child loves to learn. I value this community in which there is so much love, support, and encouragement shown to her that she feels as though you are all part of her family. I value that she is an independent thinker and that her actions demonstrate empathy and ability. I value that Whole Child is so much more than just an early education.”
“My two children have blossomed while at Whole Child and I feel like they have a very solid foundation for learning from which to build upon. And I know I’ve become a better parent with what I’ve learned during my time at the school.”
“Not only is Whole Child an amazing and positive experience for our kids, but for our whole family as well. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve enjoyed working with people who are so passionate about what you do and how you pursue it. It is an inspiration.”