Becky Brink is a native Portlander and has been teaching Early Childhood Education in the region for over 18 years. She gained extensive experience teaching in Preschool, Pre-K, and Private Kindergarten classrooms, until she became enchanted with a play-based, parent co-op teaching model in 2004 and realized she'd found her true calling. Two of her own children attended a local child-directed co-op program, and she can't think of a better way to introduce young children to a love of learning!
Believing the best way to teach an appreciation for lifelong education is to model it, Becky has continued honing her formal education throughout her career, seeking out intensive trainings through OAEYC and other private training programs, (including specialized programs to adapt school settings for inclusion of children with special needs, and trainings which enthusiastically promote early literacy in the classroom and home environments.) Becky's favorite part of every school day is leading the classroom Circle Time, reading myriads of books aloud to the students and encouraging their own beautiful imaginations to take root.
Becky lives in SE Portland with her husband and four daughters. She is a devoted foster/adoptive parent and civilian advocate for vulnerable children in the foster care system, and also volunteers as a youth/teen mentor for her local church. Becky can usually be found behind a camera lens, taking endless photos to document warm memories with family, creating messy art projects with her daughters, being an unabashed garden geek with her husband, or crafting gifts for loved ones with yarn and a pair of knitting needles.
Sarah Clay began her teaching journey as a gymnastics coach, working primarily with the preschool gymnastics program. Showing children not just how to walk on a balance beam and swing on the bars but also how to build confidence, teaching them to work with others and fostering a love of learning and exercise. Sarah has also had the good fortune to teach English to ELL college-aged students, and has provided art therapy to elementary- aged children. Sarah guided, cheered— and yes! even cartwheeled— with kids up until the day before her son was born. After his birth, she was lucky to be able spend her time at home with her son: getting to know the neighborhood earthworms, doing the messiest science projects they could find, and reading all the books they could get their hands on. Sarah fell in love with the play-based, co-op pre-school model when her own child became a part of one. She has been an active member of her son’s co-op community, serving in the classroom as a parent volunteer and as TA/substitute teacher. As her son heads off to kindergarten, Sarah feels excited to be able to continue to act as a vital member of the co-op community in a teaching capacity! She is excited to build upon her early childhood education background with trainings and conferences through Parent Child Preschools Organization (PCPO). She is excited to get to know your amazing children and to watch them grow as a part of our community. Sarah can usually be found with her nose in a book, biking with her husband and son, or playing with their very silly dog, Stevie.
“The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves.”