Now Enrolling Part Time schedules & Custom Full Time Schedules available
Our Community
Owl and the Dove Montessori opened in Fall 2008 in NE Portland’s Woodlawn Neighborhood. We have been passionate about providing a healthy, safe, inspiring & fun environment for your children! We aim to provide the essentials for a strong foundation of love and trust in their environment as they learn about themselves and this great big world around them.
Our guiding philosophies are those of Maria Montessori, Loris Malaguzzi & Magda Gerber. With awareness of the child’s sensitive periods to Movement, Language & Order, and the unconscious & conscious absorbent mind of the child; we provide for your child an environment that is respectful of their individuality, physical safety & natural maturation and development.
At our school we have a community of multi aged friends ranging from 6 weeks through 5 yrs. We promote the development of inner discipline & confidence through strong first friendships and experiences. You will feel the love that comes from being a valuable member of a small community of close friends & families.
We look forward to knowing you and your family!
Our Environment
Owl and the Dove is recognized as an Eco-Healthy Childcare Provider by CEHN (Children’s Environmental Health Network) This endorsement verifies our commitment to creating an environmentally healthy program that provides children with a safer, healthier environment to learn and grow in. Owl and the Dove was interviewed and published in the May 2017 EHCC (Eco-Healthy ChildCare Provider Spotlight Series for years of achievements that go far above and beyond the endorsement requirements. in December 2017 our story was chosen to represent Environmental Healthy Childcares as the face for the Amazon smile charitable fundraising as an inspiration to schools and childcares across the nation. “Since 2010, over 2,700 programs have been EHCC-endorsed. Currently 78,949 children are in child care facilities that follow EHCC best practices, such as Owl and Dove. The founder of this Portland, Oregon child care program, Teri Relyea, has adopted many eco-healthy practices for the children in her care…” - Children’s Environmental Health Network
Owl and the Dove’s outdoor environment is a GOLD certified Backyard Habitat (a program of the Audubon Society of Portland and the Columbia Land Trust) This endorsement verifies our dedication to restoring and maintaining native wildlife habitats throughout our entire school property. We are committed to creating an environmentally healthy, therapeutic & restorative environment where we can connect the children in our care with the natural world on a daily basis. We have a focus on botany and nutrition and will explore the plant world learning about their shapes, functions and our relationship with them. We extend this connection through caring for and building relationships with our school animal friends. Caring for animals teaches children important perspective taking skills and nurtures a greater understanding of the importance of the natural world around us.
