Pre-Kindergarten

The Beaverton School District is working to build a Pre-K program where children are supported to enter kindergarten with a strong foundation for lifetime learning. We believe in using current research about learning and the child’s brain development, our experience as educators, and what we know about the experiences of our children and their families as we develop our Pre-K through 2nd grade alignment practices.

We are committed to building culturally responsive, nurturing environments that are inclusive of all children, particularly children with developmental delays or disabilities, who speak languages other than English, children of color, and children living in poverty.

As we work with children we will:

• Consider what is known about child development and learning, what is known about each individual child, and what is known about the social, linguistic, and cultural contexts in which each child lives.
• Concentrate on all domains of child development, focusing on the whole child, remembering that children construct their learning in progressions and on a developmental continuum.
• Work to develop each child’s sense of self as the foundation of their social emotional growth.
• Remember that children learn through experiences on their way to developing the ability to translate what they know about their environment to abstract thoughts.
• Create opportunities for children to interact with interesting challenges in their environment through inquiry and play as a way to build their brains.
• Celebrate the ways children learn from each other, and create space for peer interaction as a tool for learning.
• Work to build secure attachments with each of our students because we know that a warm and nurturing relationship with their teacher supports the development of empathy, self-regulation, and a strong self-concept.  
• View and work with every child in the context of their culture, their family, and their community.
• Commit to connecting with families and caregivers, valuing their diverse perspectives and cultural knowledge as assets, and to working with them as partners in their child’s education.

We are committed to this vision because young children inspire us with their curiosity, playfulness, and sense of wonder about the world around them. We see the core of our work as celebrating and understanding the strengths and great capacity of young children; working to sculpt their minds so they become powerful thinkers, and building Pre-K and early elementary programs worthy of their capabilities.

Aloha-Huber Park is a PreK - 8th grade school with a committed team of educators, students, families, and community members. We partner with families to nurture the whole child. We have an incredible PreK team that helps each child learn through playful inquiry. Welcome!

Our dedicated staff of experienced bilingual teachers and assistants will introduce your child to our 90/10 % Spanish Dual Language Program. Our play-based program emphasizes hands-on learning, and our anti-biased curriculum covers the beautiful cultures of our world. We nurture knowledge about diversity so that children grow into conscientious people who embrace the differences that make us each unique. Our program focuses on the social and emotional needs of children while encouraging empathy and helping others.

Our Vision

At Beaver Acres we provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning community that encourages, empowers, and supports

all students to become confident, capable, 

and independent lifelong learners.

Our Mission

To achieve our vision on a daily basis WE:

WELCOME everyone.

NURTURE the whole child.

BUILD a culture of perseverance and hard work.

TEACH an engaging curriculum and a love of learning.

FOSTER meaningful relationships within our community.

VALUE diversity.  

CELEBRATE the individual strengths of each and every member of our community. 

Bonny Slope is an inquiry-based learning school that welcomes the opportunity to have a PreK in our school!  We believe that children learn best through playful learning.  It is this type of learning that supports our students with problem-solving and life-related skills, known as  

Habits of Mind.  It is the focus on these skills such as persisting, listening, and understanding with empathy, thinking and communicating with clarity, taking responsible risks, creating, imagining, and innovating that is needed to be successful in kindergarten and ultimately throughout their educational experience. 

Chehalem is very excited to begin our first year with a pre-K program.  We are a community of diverse learners focusing on the academic, social and emotional needs of all learners. We believe that structured play is a great opportunity to practice and grow a student’s academic and social emotional skills. This is especially true for our youngest learners!  We work to ensure all students feel seen, loved, and that they belong at Chehalem. We know that when this happens, amazing academic and personal growth can take place. We can’t wait to welcome our newest Mighty Mustangs!

Fir Grove is a community of committed educators,  students, families and community members. We look at the whole child and work to foster growing learners. We promote academic learning and positive civic behaviors that leads to respectful and responsible children. Our school is nestled within a walkable, diverse neighborhood where families speak many languages and originate from multiple countries. We look forward to welcoming Pre-K to our community.

Greenway is an amazing school with a committed team of educators, students, families, and community members.  We partner with families to nurture the whole child and help to support their journey from PreK to 5th grade. We have an incredible PreK team that helps each child begin their educational journey with wonder, awe, and curiosity!

McKay is a vibrant, diverse community school. We work to ensure that at school all children feel safe, experience a sense of belonging and learn that their ability and competence can grow with effort. Parents are their child’s first teacher, we believe in the power of family and community partnerships for successful schools.

Our academic program and school culture are informed by an anti-bias approach.  In anti-bias education children learn to be proud of who they are, to respect human differences, to recognize bias, and to stand up for what is right.  With a comprehensive approach to educating the whole child, we aim to equip all of our students with the skills and perspectives necessary to become fully engaged members of their communities. We look forward to partnering with you to provide our students with an engaging and joyful school experience. Welcome!

McKinley is an amazing school that serves an amazing community.  For thousands of years, our location was home to Native American Tualatin tribes.  In 1889, two German-American brothers built the original one-room wooden schoolhouse that would eventually become our McKinley Elementary School.  And today, because we are located on 185th Avenue, we serve one of the most vibrant, diverse, and busy communities of families in all of Beaverton.  Our staff are dedicated individuals who teach at McKinley because they love this community.  Adding Pre-K classrooms to McKinley is the newest chapter of our school's history, and we are eagerly looking forward to taking this journey with our Pre-K children and their families.  Welcome! 

Vose Elementary is a school that welcomes all students and families into our community. Our community is strengthened by its diversity and commitment to supporting each of our students and families to develop their gifts and strengths. We have a diverse school of learners, with staff and students and families working and learning together. We have had a dual language bilingual program for over 20 years which provides an opportunity for over 60% of our students to become fully bilingual, biliterate and bicultural. We have a very committed and diverse staff who teach at Vose because they are dedicated to our community and each other. We have had a PreK classroom at Vose for the last 3 years and look forward to continuing to integrate the program as it enriches students and families lives.

William Walker is built on a mission of “high levels of learning and success for ALL students.”  To achieve this, we are focusing on whole child educational practices to ensure that behavioral, academic, and social emotional needs of our students are met.

In our PreK program we believe that children learn best through playful inquiry.  This type of learning supports students with problem-solving and foundational life-related skills.  We have had a PreK classroom at William Walker for the last 3 years and look forward to continuing to integrate the program as it enriches students and families lives.