My name is Ms. Karen and I am the Curriculum Coordinator at Grandma’s Place.  Prior to taking this position, I was the teacher in our Young Preschool classroom.  Before moving to Portland, I spent 6 years working for the St. Paul Public School District (Minnesota) in pre-k and kindergarten classrooms.  3 of those years were through AmeriCorps and the following 3 years were funded by a grant through the McKnight Foundation to provide early math and literacy support to students. During this time, I returned to graduate school at Hamline University and completed my K-12 teaching license with a focus on ESL (English Second Language) education.  

Teaching is truly my passion; I cannot imagine working in any other field!  I am always excited to learn about more ways to be a better educator and share these ideas with the teachers at our school.  I love spending as much time as possible in our classrooms, getting to know students and seeing their growth and development!

In my spare time, I love to knit/crochet and always have at least 5 projects in process.  My husband and I like to go backpacking or camping in our converted school bus.  We love the mild Oregon climate and being able to do things outside year-round!  


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Infants


My name is Jennifer and I am the teacher in the infant room here at Grandma's Place. I have been working in childcare for over 18 years. While most of my work experience has been with school-age children, I have worked with all ages at some point in my career. I have a college degree from Portland State University.  I have obtained community training hours that have aided in my skill base and increased my abilities as a teacher. My college education and trainings have paved the way for me to achieve the state of Oregon's School-Age Credential and the state's Director Credential. Professional development and continuing education are a passion of mine so I am looking forward to the opportunity to obtain the Infant Credential offered by the state. 

Outside of work, I enjoy spending as much time with my family as possible. My son Terrien turned 7 in January this year and is in the first grade. He is active in Cub Scouts, baseball and swimming lessons.  I have also raised 4 chickens and two cats as well as tending a native garden and maintaining my early 20th century home. My son and I enjoy spending as much time outside as possible and discovered Geocaching. From the game we have had an innumerable amount of experiences and met new people including my beloved partner Tracy. As a family we go out camping, hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking and so much more. We are always looking for new geocaches wherever we might find ourselves. 



​My name is Beth and I am a teacher in the infant room.  I have been working with children for many years, including teaching piano lessons, special education, volunteer work, and 14 years in child care.  Throughout that time I have had the opportunity to work with all ages: infant through high school.  I have a degree from Northwest University and am looking forward to continuing my education.  


In my free time I enjoy spending time with my husband of almost 25 years and our three children.  We like to camp, spend time at the beach, play musical instruments, play board games, and get together with friends and family.  









Mobile Infants


Ms. Lisa- bio coming soon!

















Ms. Debra- 













​Wobblers


My name is Elizabeth, the kids call me Liz for short. I’ve been working with children since I was 12 years old. I started out babysitting and volunteering in the nursery at my church. Once I turned 18 I started my first job at a child development center working with infants and toddlers. I’ve also had the opportunity to be a nanny for 5 years for a family that had 3 children.

I started at Grandma’s Place in 2010. Since I’ve been employed here, I have taken advantage of countless hours of training in order to help me grow as an educator. I am committed to furthering my knowledge, training, and skills to help encourage and support the children and families in my care. The highlight of working in the early education field is watching the children learn and grow as infants and then watching them go off to Kindergarten.

In my spare time, I enjoy going to the movies, the zoo, and going to garage sales with my daughter and my boyfriend. I love spending time with my family and friends. My boyfriend and I like to host bar-b-ques at our house during the summer months to get family and friends together.





Hello and welcome to our new wobbler and wobbler families!  My name is Amal Sadik and I have been working at Grandma’s Place for 6 months as a wobbler teacher.  I have been working with little ones for 6 years, babysitting for family and friends.  I love working with children and watching them grow and move everyday!













Toddlers

Ms. Pam:

I come from a large family and grew up in San Diego, CA.  I live in Southeast Portland with my husband.  I have two grown-up children and a grandson.  In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, camping, playing at the park and river, and working on finishing getting my Bachelor’s in ECE.  I have enjoyed working with young children for a very long time and have watched many young toddlers develop their personalities.  I have been at Grandma’s Place for 1 year but have worked with children for over 35 years. 










Ms. Faith:

My name is Faith Burke and I am very pleased to be working here; it has always been my passion to work with children.  I have three other siblings and many cousins that I have cared for over the years and this is what has inspired me to want to make a career in this field.  I think children are so fun and funny to be around.  Teaching and seeing them learn is always interesting and entertaining.  I have also learned patience and understanding from my time with children.  When I am not working, I am usually fixing up vehicles or spending time taking my cousins on fun adventures to the zoo, park, river, beach, etc.  








Ms. Kaylee

Ever since the third grade, I knew I wanted to become a teacher and teach children. It's been something I’ve always been passionate about. My schooling towards becoming a teacher began in high school where I took child development classes. After that, I continued my schooling at Clackamas Community College where I am progressively moved closer to achieving my Child Development Associate's degree.












Hi!  I'm Ms. Idette. A bit about myself, I am the oldest of nine children (8 girls and 1 boy). I have been surrounded by children most of my life. After moving away to attend college, I worked at Humboldt State University Children’s Center for almost three years. After graduating, I became a behavioral therapist for Autism Learning Partners (BT). I was a BT until I moved from California to Portland, Oregon. 












Support Staff

Ms. Khadija 

















Ms. Christian


















Mr. Edgar


























Meet Our Teachers

Clark Family Annex

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