I had two kids spend a total of nearly 4 years here, and we were very happy with the care we have received at Childroots. We love the teachers, the natural play materials and environment, and play-based learning. We also love how Childroots provides cloth diapers and serves family meals and snacks, encouraging children to eat healthy food. We had a great experience here, and we are sad to be leaving (moving on because of kindergarten).

Child Roots has a wonderful staff and curriculum that really engages. Highly recommended.

I have two boys, 8 and 4 that have both gone through Childroots from daycare to preschool. I cant say enough good things about the school. Childroots has helped to foster both of my boys to be kind, considerate, respectful, and self-confident human beings. It is really obvious when they move on to Kindergarten how far ahead they are in their social skills, emotional regulation, and independence. They LOVED coming to school here. They always felt supported, respected, and safe. The curriculum and spaces are interesting, engaging and fun. Toys and play spaces are rotated and changed on a regular basis. The afternoon atelier programs are amazing and have exposed them to all kinds of different art and activities. Childroots is very selective about the teachers it hires and trains them in their specific methods of how to communicate and interact with the kids. Everything is intentional and designed to nurture their independence, self-regualtion, and social skills. When I had my first child I was clueless about parenting and took huge cues from the Childroots way. I think I would have been lost without it. Even with my younger one finishing there, I still look to the Childroots approach for refreshers when I get stuck on a behavior, and will often stop to observe the teachers interacting with the kids to get parenting pointers. Childroots has been a huge part of our family. The tuition was a stretch for us, but the value we got back was priceless. I feel very fortunate that this program exists and my kids got to attend.A note about the Fremont site: We have attended Childroots programs at 4 different locations (due to moves from daycare to preschool and switching to the Fremont Center when it first opened). While the first year at Fremont was a little bumpy (per a previous review), it has developed into our best Childroots experience yet, by far. The director and specialist here are the best weve seen. The teachers have been great, and retention has vastly improved as theyve improved wages and benefits. We love the size and layout of the center. Its been a wonderful experience overall for us.

My daughter started preschool at ChildRoots Fremont when she was three and loves it! She comes home everyday telling me about atiliers, her many fun summer camp activities and what shes learning about in her primary groups study subject (theye learning all about bridges!) Her teacher Claire has been with some of the same children in her cohort since they were 9 months old. Childcare costs in all of Portland are expensive but at ChildRoots, the teachers use respectful communication and provide endless opportunities for learning, the school provides all organic meals prepared by the school chef Ally, beautiful lofts and climbing structures made by carpenter Will and all cloth diapers for little ones (my son has been at a ChildRoots annex location since he was 6 weeks old). Four of the children that live on my street have been in childcare under the director, Christina, and they are some of the most well mannered kids I have met. I cannot say enough good things about what ChildRoots does for our children and the Portland community.

My son was here a year and Ill tell you pros and cons.Pros: they wow you with the organic cooked food, the lovely space, and the supposedly child centered philosophy.Cons: most expensive daycare in Portland, poor teacher retention (only retained 1 of 8 original teachers in a year!) due to poor work morale and low pay, terrible communication with families (the director wouldnt answered multiple phone calls or emails for days), low vaccination rates amongst families and unhygienic practices such as not washing water bottles after allowing the kids to sip on each others bottles, and no attempt to address any negative issues or take into consideration the parents perspectives. During our short time there, a third of the families in our room left and the rest were actively looking for childcare elsewhere. My opinion is that the administration is top heavy, their practices are corporate rather than family centered, and they dont really care if they lose clients as daycare spots in Portland are a premium. Save yourself the hassle and pick a cheaper friendlier daycare in Portland. They certainly didnt live up to their child centered philosophy for my family.