December 13, 2024

December 2024 Update

Elvis’ last day was the beginning of this month. His family had very short notification that they’d be moving, but we did let all the kids know and they were able to say goodbye.

MPP closed December 23rd-January 1st, we will return on January 2nd for our regular program hours. If you plan to be gone at all next week, please let us know via Procare so we can plan accordingly.

As a reminder going into the winter months, we follow PPS as far as inclement weather closures go. We will update you via Procare as soon as possible, but if you want to receive updates you can sign up for their text updates by texting YES to 68453. They also post updates to their Facebook page and Twitter @PPSConnect

There’s absolutely no obligation, but this time of year I always get asked for gift ideas for teachers. If you’re looking for things to get the teachers and need some ideas, I put together this page: https://www.mudpiespreschool.com/get-to-know-the-teachers

I hope you all have a beautiful December and we’ll see you in the New Year!

Warmly,
Kai

November 15, 2024

Hi All!

Thank you for coming to the Trick-or-Treat event! It was so fun to see everyone dressed up and participating in the activities together.

It’s been quite wet and we have lots of clothes going through the washing machine here. If your child’s clothing is not labeled, it will end up in the lost and found (the box outside on the porch). Please ensure your child’s clothing is ALL labeled so we can return it to their cubby. There are sharpies and masking tape by the front door if you need to borrow some labeling supplies.

There’s been a lot of sickness going around, so I’d like to take a beat to remind everyone of the illness policy. If any of these symptoms are present at school, we will ask you to pick your child up. Your child MUST be symptom free for 24 hours WITHOUT the aide of medication:

  • a fever of 100.4 degrees or more
  • an unusual or severe cough
  • wheezing or difficulty breathing
  • diarrhea (>1 incidence)
  • vomiting
  • unusual yellow color to skin
  • an unusual or severe cough
  • wheezing or difficulty breathing
  • skin or eye lesions
  • a severe rash
  • complaints of severe pain 

We will be closed November 28th and 29th in observance of Thanksgiving. All scheduled closure dates can be found at www.mudpiespreschool.com/calendar

At our November staff meeting, I asked each teacher to share their “why” for being a teacher— what is it that they turn to as motivation to keep showing up. Here’s what was shared:
Social emotional learning is fun to witness.
Every student needs at least 3 adults outside of their immediate family to be successful. The magic of the everyday and joy of the little things. Kids make sense.
Interpersonal connections— I believe that it is a community’s responsibility to care for the children around them and to foster who they are and help them be their authentic selves.
It is a joy to see the children’s growth.
The formative years shape the rest of our lives and that the work we do helps shape the world of the future (plus, kids are fun!)
I have hope that together kids and teachers can create a better world where conflicts are resolved compassionately and people take care of each other.

Thank you all so much for being a part of the community!
<3 Kai

October 7, 2024

Happy October!
Here are a few updates for this month:

Trick-or-Treat Event:

  • Thursday 10/31 from 4:30pm-5:30pm we will be hosting our annual Trick-or-Treat event at Mud Pies Preschool. We will have some stations set up with treats for students to walk around and collect. Families are encouraged to come early (4:30pm) to walk around and participate. Any siblings/housemates/etc are welcome as well! We will provide bags! *Please note that when you arrive, you must sign your child out and you are then responsible for your child.
  • If your child would like to wear a costume to school on Halloween (or any day haha) please note that it is highly likely the costume will return dirty/broken/ripped/lost/etc. In light of this, we recommend to have a back up less precious costume your child can wear during the school day, then change for the event.
  • If you are bringing your child’s costume to the event, please let us know via Procare so we can release them to you to help them don their costume.
  • We will have low staff numbers for this event this year, so we are looking for 2-3 volunteers who would like to come at 4:30pm on 10/31 to be in charge of a station and hand out treats to students. Please let us know via Procare if you’re interested 🙂

The weather is shifting again!
Please take a moment to go through your child’s cubby to ensure they have 2 extra changes of clothes and weather appropriate outer layers (we do have rain suits at school, but they are not warm!) We have paper bags you can use to take the rest of the cubby contents home.
In the same vein, there have been many unlabeled socks that have ended up in our lost and found. We have sharpies next to the iPad you can use to label your child’s clothes. Please help us by making sure all clothing your child has at school is labeled with their name or initials. Thank you!

Warmly,
Kai

September 12, 2024

Whew, the beginning of September passed us by. Apologies for the delay in getting an update out. Here are a few things to note:

  • We have a new teacher! We are so excited to have Donny (they/them) joining us today. Please introduce yourself and let them know which child you belong to 😉
  • It was great to connect with folks at our potluck and clothing swap last month!
  • We updated our behind-the-scenes billing platform on Procare from Stripe to Tuition Express. We’re hoping this will resolve the glitches that some families experienced. This month when you go in to pay you will need to update your ACH information (routing and account numbers). Please note that each ACH transaction costs 95 cents and we are covering this cost for at least the next few months; we reserve the right to pass on this cost in the future. Note that we opted to not allow credit cards because that would cost 2.7% of the total + 30 cents per transaction.
  • With the upcoming season change please make sure your child’s cubby has weather-appropriate clothes; we are outside a lot!
  • We opened a second school! For those curious in seeing scenes from that location, Sunflower Preschool updates are here.

Onwards!

August 1, 2024

Hello! We have a few events coming down the pipeline:

  • Friday August 16, 2024 *AND* Tuesday August 20, 2024, 4:30-5:30pm — Incoming Family Visits. We are inviting incoming families* to come check out the space and get to know other households. If you have time on this day, feel free to linger / introduce yourself. *Two of our incoming families already go to Mud Pies Preschool, so they are already very acclimated.
  • Friday August 23, 4:30-6pm. Potluck and Clothing Swap! We’re sliding in a hopefully sweet and easy event to connect before the end of summer. Please bring a nut-free dish to share, and any clothes you want to toss/donate. *PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN YOU ARRIVE, YOU MUST SIGN YOUR CHILD OUT AND YOU ARE THEN RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CHILD. Thank you!

Also on the scheduling front, a reminder that we are *closed* Friday August 30th to hit reset on our space, and *closed* Monday September 2 for Labor Day. You can always see our schedule on our Calendar Page.

We also have a few children “graduating” at the end of this month — we wish you the best on your next adventures!

Friday June 28, 2024

Hello Summer! A few things.

Following up on the somewhat dire May 31st update, we fine-tuned our projections, identified a few budgetary release valves, and have made the decision to move forward with Preschool for All. We hope this represents good things for the business and community.

Following up on a licensing item, in early May two children squeezed through a previously undetected gap in our fence into the neighbors yard for approximately two minutes. After getting the children back onto our property, we immediately informed the parents, informed our licensor, and reinforced the fence. For context, the neighbor is a kindergarten teacher (high tolerance for children’s antics and noise) and also has a gate between their yard and the road (additional buffer between vehicles). But even one second off of our property is too much. This transgression of our boundary is considered a violation of our license and we will have a notice posted about this incident for the next 12 months. We wanted to provide some context for this notice.

This is the last week for a couple children in our care. We wish them the best of luck on their next adventures! Next week we’re closed for Summer Break July 1-5, 2024. Have fun and stay safe!

We are hiring! We are offering a $100 “finder fee” to anyone who provides a lead to the person that we ultimately hire. More details on our Contact page.

May 31, 2024

Hello.  This is a long update.  

THE SHORT VERSION

It’s 90 days until September. Please be aware that tuition rates are going up 6% effective September.  The longer backstories and context are below.

BACKDROP OF OUR BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Our rate setting exercise for the Sept 2023-August 2024 year was driven by a confluence of factors: external pandemic funding had dried up; our costs had all gone up; tuition rates hadn’t kept pace; we were not able to fully enroll all available spots.  The 2023 calendar year depleted our reserves.  By addressing the challenges (raising rates, trimming costs, shifting our operations and filling all slots) by early 2024 we were able to stabilize the business and get income to match expenses. Phew!

A NEW VARIABLE: PRESCHOOL FOR ALL (PFA)

Mud Pies Preschool applied to be a Preschool for All “Pilot Site” in late 2023.  Preschool for All is program whereby all 3- and 4-year-olds living in Multnomah County will eventually have access to free preschool. Simultaneously it raises the performance bar and compensation rate for early childhood educators.

Overall and long term, it seems like an awesome program that is changing the early childhood environment in very positive ways: parents will benefit from free care, and early childhood educators will benefit from steady financial support and can really carve out a career path in the space.  And children, of course, will benefit from high quality environments.

Up close and short term — as one would expect with a complicated program with lots of fiscal tailwinds and unique businesses and intimate dynamics — there are some wrinkles.  PFA is in year two of rolling it out. And we are in our first year of figuring it out.  While we are very excited to be a part of this movement and momentum, we have also been on the learning curve of their onboarding process.  In transparent fashion here are some “teachable moments” from the past few months with context for our decision making, and some suggestions for stakeholders beyond our immediate community:

  • PFA asked us how many spots we would like back in February.
    • At that point we had heard stories of challenges: programs with a high percentage of high-needs children and limited staffing; no ability to charge parents who picked up late; limited ability to enforce that boundary.  
    • We had also heard stories of programs that, in summer 2023, were able to allow all of their existing eligible children to have PFA slots.  On the phone the PFA person said they would explain these “continuation of care” (COC) slots very carefully during the enrollment process.  What we didn’t fully appreciate is that the number of slots we chose in February dictated said COC slots during the enrollment process in May.
    • We thought that PFA, which is actively trying to increase participation, would be open to increasing the number of slots at a facility, but would likely be reluctant to decrease the number of slots.  What we didn’t realize is that, inverse to our instincts, PFA is open to decreasing the number of slots per facility but not open to increasing it until the following year.
    • Therefore, in a cautious manner, we signed up for four slots.
    • —>TO FAMILIES IN OUR PROGRAM WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PFA BUT DID NOT GET A SPOT THIS YEAR, we are so sorry.  If no one got a spot, that would feel one way.  But this year some get spots and some do not; it feels different. We have asked if they will reconsider, and while one one hand they said that spots constantly change, on the other hand they said they cannot change the number of spots.
    • —> TO OTHER FACILITIES APPLYING TO PFA.  If you get accepted as a PFA Pilot Site, we recommend you survey your families to identify the number of eligible children in your care, and ask PFA for that number of slots (or more!).  
  • PFA asked us how many infant/toddler spaces we provide.
    • We don’t identify our children (ages 2-5) as “infants” or “toddlers.”  So we replied “0” for our “infant/toddler” spots.
    • Since then we’ve learned that PFA considers infants/toddlers as under 36 months.  And they are saying they cannot correct this number for our school’s profile.  So we are missing out on $17k of “stabilization” funding this year.
    • —> OUR GENTLE RECOMMENDATION TO PFA: Consider re-wording the question to “How many spaces do you provide for children under 36 months?”
    • —>TO OTHER FACILITIES. If you are answering a question about “infant/toddler” spaces, clarify the age group before replying!

Other impacts and gleanings include:

  • Our liability insurance went up 50% based on new requirements.   
  • Our staffing costs are going up. This is great: our package gets better and better for our team.  This is hard: our margins were already slim.  There are also now some unpredictable line items, such as health care costs.
  • Kai and I have been tag-teaming, sharing notes between different trainings and meetings. There is a lot to learn.
  • There are all manner of other ins and outs that we’ve learned over the past couple months (Provider children are not eligible to participate in PFA in their program; 900 hours of care is key; it’s been really helpful to get together with other PFA programs, old and new, to navigate together; everyone is doing their best!)
    • —>I’ve volunteered to meet with future PFA pilot schools to help them as they get oriented.

WE’VE REACHED OUT TO PFA AND THE CONTRACT AGENCY FOR BUDGETING SUPPORT

In our current modeling, even with the 6% increase in tuition for non-PFA slots, we’re still coming up quite short (roughly $50k) for 2024-25 year.  How do other programs with similar hours/days/staffing models/services balance income and expenses?  I met with the contract agency for an hour today and got some initial guidance and leads. I’m hoping for more in the coming weeks.  Hopefully we are missing something, or have something off in our equation(s). 

Alrighty, that’s probably enough for now from spreadsheet land.  We trust that it will all work out.  If anyone from our community wants to talk further I’m most available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and any evening of any day of the week or weekend after 8:30pm.  Thanks for tuning in and for being a part of our community!

Cheers,
Meredith

May 2, 2024

Hello! A few updates as we head into May:

  • The weather this season is variable. Consider leaving a jacket *with a hood* at school so that your child can go out in rain without getting soaked. We do have rain suits at school, but it’s generally preferred to have a jacket.
  • Hard to believe with all of this rain but sunblock season is around the corner. We supply sunblock, and apply it on the children once the UV index goes above 4. You are also welcome to provide your own from home — it is considered a medication so we would need a) the container to be labeled with your child’s first and last name, and b) to have a medication form on file.
  • Ladybugs and Caterpillars are in the house! We received our ladybugs and caterpillars, and have a few books and life cycle demonstration models available to the children. We will watch them eat and grow and do their thing over the coming weeks, and then have some release days. If your child starts talking about eggs, larvae, and pupae, that’s what’s going on. We’ve included a photo from last year below.
  • We will be starting Parent-Teacher Conferences next Thursday (5/9). You can sign up on the Google sheet that will be sent out via Procare. Please note that these meetings are not mandatory, but they are the best time for us to check in about how your child is doing at home and school. If you need a different date or time, please reach out to Kai via Procare or email director@mudpiespreschool.com

Link to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HF0RXTji3vLGkFnZtfNnA-bupbApllC8OD4Nea1EP3c/edit#gid=0

  • Reminder that we are closed Monday May 27 for Memorial Day.

On the day of the release many of the children got to see butterflies up close. (photo from Spring 2023)

Friday April 19, 2024: Remember to Apply to Preschool for All!

Hello! Preschool For All (PFA) applications are open. You are eligible if your child a) is 3- or 4-years old on or before September 1, 2024, and b) lives in Multnomah County.

https://pfa.multco.us

We urge all of our eligible families to apply because Mud Pies Preschool is now a part of Preschool for All! If you do not get a PFA slot at Mud Pies for 2024-25, you still have your slot through us directly. And if you get offered a PFA slot at another school for 2024-25, you can decline it if you want to stay at Mud Pies Preschool. As far as we can tell, there is no opportunity cost to applying. The last day to apply is April 30, 2024.

Cheers!

Thursday March 21, 2024

Happy Spring! A few things before we head out on spring break.

  • Announcement: we’re now offering our space to host birthday parties! Reach out to us via Procare if you are interested.
  • Speaking of birthdays, today and tomorrow we’re celebrating our 5th Birthday and sending each child (and teacher) home with a balloon. If you’ve ever been curious about how we got started 5 years ago check out The Story of Mud Pies Preschool.
  • All adults are asked to still wear masks inside. If you forget your mask, you can stay on the porch and a teacher will get your child’s cubby. And we have some extra by the door. Thank you for your understanding and accommodation.
  • We’ll be hosting a Flashlight Night on Friday April 19th! Please RSVP via Procare.
  • We have not yet identified a teacher to join our crew, so no news on that front. If you know someone who is great with 2-5-year-old children and committed to play-based education, please send them our way (the job description is on the lower half of our contact page).
  • We’re closed next week. We re-open April 1st, but then remember that we’re closed Friday April 5th for a day of training. You can always see our whole schedule on our calendar page.

Thank you so much!

Monday March 4, 2024

Hello! We have a few things going on this month:

  • Kai (this month) and Dana (in a couple months) have been with Mud Pies Preschool for five (5!) years! We will be honoring and celebrating them.
  • Alexandra is leaving our program. Her last day is Friday March 8th. She has been a wonderful teacher and we will miss her dearly. We wish her the best on her next adventure. We will likely coordinate a card or some other closure for the children at the school, but wanted to let you all know in case the topic comes up at home. On related notes:
    • We’ll post the open position soon. If you know a wonderful early child educator who is looking for a position please send them our way! More details here.
    • We are sliding most parent-teacher conferences to after we are re-staffed up. If there is anything urgent you want to discuss about your child’s development or behavior, please let us know and we’ll carve out time.
  • Daylight savings time changes Sunday March 10th. This is our signal to check our emergency supplies on the back porch. If you feel the need to swap out your child’s supplies (for example, if they have had a growth spurt and likely no longer fit into their change of clothing) just let us know and we’ll grab your bag so you can update it.
  • We have a couple breaks coming up! You can always see our calendar here.
    • Monday March 25-Friday March 29, 2024 — Closed for Spring Break
    • Friday April 5, 2024 — Closed for Professional Development (*Updated! Initially was listed as Mon April 8th before we knew the PPS schedule)
    • Monday May 27, 2024 — Closed for Memorial Day (*Updated!)
    • Monday July 1-Friday July 5, 2024 — Closed for Summer Break
  • We continue to get organized for our Preschool for All participation this fall.

Thank you all for being part of the Mud Pies Preschool community.

Thursday February 1, 2024

Whew, we made it through January! That felt a bit touch-and-go between the storms and sickness. And we had some highlights in that we able to squeeze in some modified care during the storms, we got lots of behind-the-scene preparations completed, and hosted a Flashlight Night. As we turn a corner with longer daylight hours, a few things to note:

SCHEDULING-RELATED INFORMATION

  • We’re projecting our schedule for September 2024; thank you all for your input via ProCare.
  • We will send out info on how we approach/celebrate Valentine’s Day by early next week.
  • You can see our calendar at any time on the website. Our next scheduled closures include:
    • Monday March 25-Friday March 29, 2024 — Closed for Spring Break
    • Friday April 5, 2024 — Closed for Professional Development (*Updated! Initially was listed as Mon April 8th before we knew the PPS schedule)
    • Monday May 27, 2024 — Closed for Memorial Day (*Updated!)

WE ARE TURNING FIVE YEARS OLD!
Five years ago we were hustling to open our doors. At some point in March we’ll celebrate with some balloons and perhaps a community event — stay tuned.

Thank you all for being a part of the Mud Pies Preschool community!

Kai and Meredith

Wednesday January 17, 2024 (6am)

Meredith again. This has been the longest weekend. Yesterday’s storm finally hit at 5pm. I just went outside of our house now (1/2-mile from the school) and everything is a sheet of ice.

PPS is closed today (they have 81 facilities serving 49,000 students, and some schools still don’t have power). The storm warning for the region remains in effect until 8am. Then the forecast predicts temperatures above freezing for the foreseeable future (downright balmy after what it has been!) and rain. The ground temps are low so it might take a moment for things to slush out, but it will happen.

Mud Pies Preschool still does have power. I’m not sure how much time it will take for all of the ice to melt out. I keep trying to rally scenarios of modified care. There are SO many reasons why it is helpful to have clear policies and procedures (such as following PPS in terms of inclement weather); and we started Mud Pies Preschool out of a desire to serve the community, so that muscle still flexes strong in situations when we know households might be struggling to meet childcare needs.

Given this background, I’m currently wondering if we could offer care today with a modified schedule (3-5:30pm?), with modified children (I could watch up to 10 children) and modified services (we will not serve any food; we have a stockpile of ritz and sunbutter but I’m not sure what other food is in inventory!). All the risks associated with travel on wet/potentially slippery roads and sidewalks abound. I’m not sure this would even be helpful for families (the timing is so weird; would people even want an afternoon playdate scene?).

First thing’s first, one of us will send out a note via ProCare to see if this would even be of interest to any families.

Monday January 15, 2024

Happy MLK Jr. Day.

Mud Pies Preschool has had power throughout the weekend, so that’s good. We also chipped out a pathway and removed the snow from the porches, and chipped out a pathway along the curb so the meltwater has a place to go once temperatures get above freezing. Slip and trip hazards still abound throughout the property so please use caution. Also, looking ahead, it looks like more weather is moving in tomorrow (Tues Jan 16). PPS has announced it is closed tomorrow, and PBOT has asked everyone to not travel. Given the nature of the storm (freezing rain) and it’s prediction (as early as 10am) we will be closed as well on Tuesday January 16, 2023. We had tried to figure out a modified schedule to give families some child care respite, but the potential risks (increased likelihood of power outages; slick roads; slick property; emergency services likely to be seriously delayed) outweighed the pros. We acknowledge this has been a LONG weekend for households. Courage to all of you. We hope to see you soon.

Thursday January 11, 2024

Hey All,
There’s a storm system headed this way with predicted snow accumulation and low temperatures.  In short, stay tuned. In long, here are some of our considerations and navigations.

We’re staying informed by checking weather updates. As of this post it looks like conditions will start to get snowy Friday afternoon; then surfaces typically start to get icy once temperatures go below 32 degrees.

We’re checking in with the team. We’re doing scenario planning with the schedule, distances, and transportation, and making sure that everyone has options to get home safely. 

We’re remembering past snow events and gleaning any lessons learned. For example, we experienced a similar storm system last winter whereby conditions were fine, fine, fine, and then it started to snow hard, at which point many people in the Portland Metro region decided simultaneously that they needed to get home, resulting in huge traffic jams and delays on roadways. 

We’re communicating with our community (à la this blog post).  We will shift to ProCare for more cogent and/or urgent communications.

We’re thinking through timing and schedules, and asks/impacts. For example, on Friday we are currently organized to be able to stay open through 5:30pm (per usual) *AND* we recognize that some families might be planning to pick up their child on the earlier side (say, more like 4pm). (We ended up closing at 3:30pm to allow plenty of time to get everyone home.)

Then, looking ahead, we’re closed Monday January 15th, so we’ll have an extra day to dig out any snow accumulation. And looking further ahead, next weeks’ forecasted temperatures are very low.

Thanks for tuning in. Thanks in advance for your flexibility. We’ll be in touch as conditions evolve.

Sunday December 31, 2023

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a lovely break. A few things:

  • We reopen this Wednesday January 3rd.
  • Your copy of a roster is ready and in your child’s cubby. If you need another copy, or an electronic copy, let us know. On a related note, please help us welcome a new family; we’ll share names via ProCare. 🙂
  • We follow Portland Public School (PPS) in terms of weather-related closings and delayed openings. We send out alerts regarding any unexpected schedule changes via ProCare.
  • We will send you your tax statement soon via ProCare.

Onwards!

Friday December 1, 2023

Hello Parents!

A few things in bulleted fashion:

  • Brrrr, it has gotten cold. Thank you for sending your child in with (labeled) layers. We spend as much time as we comfortably can outdoors.
  • We have a Flashlight Night coming up Friday December 15, 2023, 6-9pm! Please sign up via ProCare. It’s $35/child. Please note that we appreciate a 24+ hours notice for any cancellations and in order to be able to provide a refund.
  • We are closed Thursday December 21 through Tuesday January 2. Note that this is a little different than PPS (PPS is scheduled to reopen on January 2nd, whereas we re-open on January 3rd). You can always view our calendar page for schedules.
  • We have an updated roster ready for review with names and phone numbers (apologies for the delay!). Please note your approval (and any corrections) on the sheet next to the iPad.

With warmth and good cheer,

Kai & Meredith

Friday November 3, 2023

Hello Parents! Thanks to all who came out on Halloween night for our trick-or-treat-and-scavenger-hunt event! It was so much fun we forgot to take photos, but what a nice night.

A few other things:

  • Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend: remember to shift those clocks back 1 hour on Saturday night (e.g. 9pm becomes 8pm), and make adjustments accordingly to your household rhythms.
  • When the clocks change we take that as our cue to refresh our emergency supplies on the back porch. Keep an eye out for a zip lock and instructions. In short, in the event of a disaster we want to have some individual supplies for the children. We ask parents to provide:
    • a note
    • a change of clothes (think comfortable and larger)
    • a non-perishable activity or item (think stickies or a tiny stuffy)
  • As described on ProCare we’ve shifted our use of the A-Side / B-Side to more flexibly accommodate the needs of the group. Before we had children who were “A-Side” and children who were “B-Side”; everyone would start the day together and then the groups would split up for meals (with the B-side on the back porch) and rest (with the B-side in the basement). Now we still use the B-Side spaces, but use them more according to the weather and needs of individuals within the entire group. For example, everyone starts out the day together, and breakfast is split into the kitchen and ABC room (both warm, indoor spaces). Later in the day, if we need more space to move around, a group can split off and go into the basement.
  • A few events and closures coming up include the following:
    • We are offering a Flashlight Night on Friday November 10th, from 6-9pm. (Sign up via ProCare)
    • We are closed Thursday Nov 23 and Friday Nov 24.
    • We are closed Thursday Dec 21 through Tuesday Jan 2. We will reopen Wednesday January 3rd.
    • You can always view our calendar.
  • We have begun to fill our open spots and if you see a new face on campus, it is likely a new member of our community getting acclimated. Please help us welcome new families by introducing yourself and your child.

Thanks so much,
Kai & Meredith

Tuesday October 17, 2023

Hello,
We now have room for *two* older children to join our program. Will you help us spread the word? We are offering $150 referral fee for any household that helps successfully fill a spot.

On a somewhat related note, we are now asking households to please give us 60-days notice of withdrawing or graduating from our program. We have updated the Parent Handbook accordingly (it was 30 days; now it’s 60 days). Looking ahead, we are hoping this shift will help smooth out some scheduling and budgeting bumps we’ve recently experienced. Thank you!

Also, this is the new “Shoe Cubby” on the front porch for shoes in active rotation. If you are hunting for your child’s boots or sneakers, check in here.

Sunday October 1, 2023

As the new children continue to turn corners feeling comfortable and secure in our space, we have officially entered pumpkin season.

THE FOLLOWING TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM SEPTEMBER ARE STILL RELEVANT:

  • We have a M-W-F space available. If you know of any households with a 4- or 5-year-old seeking care, please send them our way!
  • We are offering a Flashlight Night on Friday Oct 6th from 6-9pm and still have an open spot. Please RSVP via ProCare by Tuesday Oct 3. More details are on our calendar page. Thanks!

GENTLE REMINDERS AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

  • Reminder: toys should please stay home. Cubbies are for stuffies (during nap, and before breakfast if they are helpful to ease into the scene) and extra clothing.
  • Reminder: please label all clothes coming to school. Some items may need to be relabeled as labels have faded or fallen off in the wash.
  • Reminder: please use your own ProCare pin for dropping off and picking up your child. If you need a reminder about your pin please ask and we will help you out.
  • Upcoming activity: this month we’ll likely bust out an annual favorite with the small-hammers-and-pegs-into-pumpkins activity.

REGARDING COSTUMES AND OUR HALLOWEEN EVENT

Children often want to wear costumes throughout the month. This is just fine, so long as said costumes and clothing allow for easy movement and participation in our regular activities. Note that costumes coming to school might get dirty/broken/ripped or lost, so please label them. On Halloween itself (Tuesday October 31, 2023) we will offer a trick-or-treating event at Mud Pies Preschool from 4:30-5:30pm. We typically set up a few trick-or-treat stations throughout the property, and invite parents/caregivers to come early and walk with their child to each station. We provide simple bags for the activity. We will send out a reminder closer to the date but wanted to give a courtesy heads up.

Thank you all for being a part of the Mud Pies Preschool community!

With warmth and good cheer,
Kai and Meredith

Tuesday September 5, 2023

Hello! Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! Behind-the-scenes we got busy getting ready with fresh labels, updated bedding (the children are growing!), deep cleaning, and overall organizing. There is always more to be done! We look forward to welcoming the newest members of our community this week. The calendar is always available via the navigational link at the top of this page. Looking ahead to the next couple months we’ve outlined a few highlights ahead. As always, thank you for being a part of our community.

~Kai and Meredith

SPACE AVAILABLE. Ah, the jenga puzzle of scheduling: we have a Monday-Wednesday-Friday spot open for a 4- or 5-year-old. If you know of a household looking for excellent play-based care please send them our way. Thank you!

FAMILY PHOTO SHOOTS. Back by popular demand we’re offering family photo shoots the afternoon of Sunday October 1st. If interested, please sign up via ProCare.

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT. We are aiming to offer a Flashlight Night on Friday October 6th. If interested, please send us a note via ProCare.

Saturday August 12, 2023

Hello again. In light of the upcoming Excessive Heat Warning/Fire Weather Warning advisories for Sunday August 13th at 11PM through Thursday August 17th at 10pm, we thought we’d take a moment to review a few resources.

  • We have air conditioning at Mud Pies Preschool.
  • We have air purification, too: there’s an iWave filter built into the HVAC system that is always running, and we have a standalone air filter in the main living space with a real-time readout.
  • The 2nd part of our Emergency Preparedness post is devoted to descriptions of how airflow in homes works. It includes tips for operations during extreme weather and air quality events.
  • Towards the bottom of our Calendar page we describe our operational cues if it is smokey, re-posted below in italics.

We’ve adopted the following guidelines using Air Quality Index (AQI) metrics as our guides. We use the AQI as gathered from IQAir, type in “97206” for the zip code, and look at the data collected at the three nearest stations (Brentwood Darlington “PurpleAir” station, anonymous; Southeast Flavel Street, “PurpleAir” station, anonymous; Portland Lane Middle School, “AirNow” station, Oregon DEQ). We use the highest reading from those stations.

  • If the AQI outside is above 100, we will stay inside, limit the use of fans, and limit the opening of exterior doors.
  • If the AQI outside is above 150 and your child is exposed to the smoke >10 minutes on your commute from home to school, please wear a head covering (a hat or scarf for their head to reduce the entrance of smoke into the building).
  • If the AQI *inside* is above 100 for more than 15 minutes and not trending better, then we will potentially close as our space is no longer representing a cleaner or safer environment than other spaces.

As always, we’ll do our best to stay in rhythm while adjusting our operations to to meet the needs given local conditions. We’ll communicate any on-the-go changes to our operations via ProCare. Thank you so much for your ongoing understanding and flexibility!

Friday August 11, 2023

Hello Everyone,

Welcome! With a small website shift we’ve moved to this new “Updates” post for ongoing communications, as opposed to the old /covid-19 link. In bulleted fashion here are some notes for this month:

  • OPEN SPACE FOR OLDER CHILD. We have an unexpected Monday-Wednesday-Friday spot for an older 4- or 5-year-old child. If you know of someone looking for care please send them our way! Our wait pool is chock full of the younger set but for ratio reasons we are seeking an older child.
  • UPCOMING EVENTS/SCHEDULED CLOSURES. A couple dates on the horizon:
    • Friday, August 25th, 4:30-5:30pm. It’s the new school year after Labor Day and we have invited our incoming families to come visit to get acclimated. The play yard might be a bit busier than usual during pick-up!
    • Friday September 1st – CLOSED. We’ll be sprucing up the space and getting ready for the new school year.
    • Monday September 4th – CLOSED. Labor Day.

Cheers!

Saturday July 1, 2023

Hello Summer Break! Hope everyone is having a fun holiday. A few things to note looking ahead:

  1. INCIDENT REPORTS GOING ONLINE. When we return, we’ll be shifting from our current system (paper copies of incident reports that you sign with a pen) to an electronic system (electronic copies of incident reports via ProCare that you sign on your device). We’ve done a few tests and it should be pretty seamless.
  2. NO BIG GRADUATION CEREMONY. A few children will graduate from our program this year. We tend to keep things mellow and find ways to honor graduates in a gentle, low-key way, typically with photos and cards. Just want to set expectations on that front.
  3. FLASHLIGHT NIGHT JULY 21st! Up to 10 children come play from 6-9pm. We serve pizza and veggies, and a bit of glowing fun. More details are on our calendar page. Please RSVP via ProCare. Whee!

We reopen Monday July 10th. Then our next break is Friday Sept 1 / Monday Sept 4. Stay safe out there!

-Kai & Meredith

Thursday June 1, 2023

Hello! It’s been a busy spring. A few things going on include:

TUITION: Rates effective this fall are now posted. We elaborate more in the discussion area of this post (below these highlights and announcements).

METAMORPHOSIS: The butterflies hatched!

GROWTH: The plants are growing!

UPCOMING EVENT: We are aiming to host a Flashlight Night this summer. More details to come!

UPCOMING EVENT: Cha Cha’s choir is performing on June 10th and 11th! Learn more here.

TEAM: Our team page is now updated. Did you know we collectively speak more than 5 languages?!

SUMMER SPOT! We have a unique Monday/Wednesday spot available for an older (entering kindergarten) child this summer. We will waive the registration fee for such a short duration in our program, and the cost is $710/month. If you know of someone seeking a space to play this summer, please send them our way!

REGARDING TUITION RATES FOR 2023-24

We take our business of caring for children very seriously. One piece of our puzzle is staying in financial balance. During the first few years of operation we managed to keep our income over our expenses. Over the past year, we have gotten out of balance: our income streams (largely via tuition) did not keep pace with our expenses (largely via increased costs). Some factors that have shaped this equation over the years include:

  • REDUCED EXTERNAL INCOME STREAMS. In 2020 and 2021 we received aid from state and federal sources to support our operations amidst the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022 those sources of aid dried up.
  • TUITION RATES NOT KEEPING PACE. Simultaneously we had not re-calibrated our tuition rates to keep pace with increased costs.
  • INCREASED STAFFING TIME. We’ve increased the number of teacher hours per day by 19% compared to the first few years of our operations. It is awesome: the team has time to plan activities and be thoroughly attentive to the children. And there are costs associated with this time.
  • INCREASED WAGES. We consistently give wage and benefit increases. Again, this is awesome: our minimum wage is 46% higher than the median hourly wage for child care workers in Oregon. And there are costs associated with these rates.
  • MORE SPACE. We’ve essentially doubled our space(s) available to the children via the development of the B-Side. We have a LOT of room for the children to run, play, jump, explore. It is awesome. And this space takes more time/energy/input to maintain.
  • INCREASED COSTS OVERALL. Other costs have increased as well for food and supplies.

We went through a robust exercise that looked closely at all of the numbers. We also took a moment to do some market research and see how our services and prices compare to other preschool programs in this region: we are still solidly below market rates. Given all of the factors, we feel like the 2023-24 rates are reasonable, and we wince thinking about a big (we consider anything over 6% as “big”) percentage increase to monthly household budgets. We are holding space for all of the thoughts, facts and feelings. Both of us are available to talk more and walk you through any of the numbers. If these rates represent financial hardship or strain for your household, PLEASE REACH OUT so that we can work something out. Let’s please keep the lines of communication open.

Looking ahead on the calendar, we are closed July 3-7 for Summer Break. We are also closed Friday Sept 1 and Monday September 4.

Thanks to everyone for all you do and for being a part of our community.

Best,

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