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Fall 2026 enrollment open
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Willow & Wren
Early Learning · Portland
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Four rooms · Ages 18 months through five

Age, ratio, rhythm, tuition.

The four questions every family asks in the first email, answered in order, up front, with nothing hidden. Every room shares the same philosophy; the shape of the day is what scales with age.

18 months to 2 years

Seedlings

A primary-caregiver room with low ratios, real naps, and a language-rich, slow day.

Teacher ratio
1 : 4
Group size
8 children
Schedule
Full-day only (8 to 5:30)

Tuition

$1,840 / month

Includes all meals, diapers, and a sleep basket.

What the day looks like

A real day in seedlings.

  • Slow drop-off at a primary caregiver
  • Two long outdoor blocks: stroller walks, garden, porch play
  • Family-style snack, lunch, and afternoon snack
  • Real two-hour nap with real cribs, in a quiet room
  • Daily written notes home, never an app
Tour SeedlingsSee the room
2 to 3 years

Sprouts

Emergent curriculum, toilet-learning support, and the beginnings of friendship.

Teacher ratio
1 : 6
Group size
12 children
Schedule
Full-day or part-time (MWF / TTh)

Tuition

$1,640 / month· part-time $980 / month

Includes all meals, all materials, and spare clothing.

What the day looks like

A real day in sprouts.

  • Morning circle with songs, a story, and the day's intentions
  • Ninety minutes outside in rain, snow, or sun
  • Toilet-learning on the child's timeline, not ours
  • Open studio time: paint, clay, water, sensory
  • Nap or quiet hour, no forced sleep
Tour SproutsSee the room
3 to 4 years

Saplings

Mixed-age project work, weekly forest walks, and long uninterrupted studio days.

Teacher ratio
1 : 8
Group size
16 children
Schedule
Full-day or part-time (MWF / TTh)

Tuition

$1,520 / month· part-time $910 / month

Includes forest-day transport, rain gear loaner, all materials.

What the day looks like

A real day in saplings.

  • Project work lasting days to months, the child chooses
  • Wednesday forest days, weather non-negotiable
  • Reading, writing, and number sense woven into play
  • Weekly studio specialists: music, visual art, movement
  • Portfolio and narrative report each semester
Tour SaplingsSee the room
4 to 5 years

Kindergarten Prep

Portfolio-based assessment, public-school transition support, and long studio days.

Teacher ratio
1 : 10
Group size
20 children
Schedule
Full-day only (8 to 5:30)

Tuition

$1,420 / month

Includes all materials, kindergarten-transition paperwork, all meals.

What the day looks like

A real day in kindergarten prep.

  • Extended self-directed studio blocks (90+ min)
  • Portfolio-based assessment, no testing, ever
  • Kindergarten transition packet written to the receiving school
  • Weekly Spanish, weekly music, weekly movement
  • May transition panel with alumni families
Tour Kindergarten PrepSee the room

Every room, every day

The things everyone gets.

Primary-caregiver model
90 min outdoor play daily
Mixed-age classrooms
Unhurried rhythm, real naps
Semester portfolios
Licensed + CPR-trained staff

Affordability

Sliding-scale and sibling tuition.

Twelve percent of our seats are sliding-scale every year. Applications open each March, reviewed by a three-family committee alongside our board. No tax returns required. A one-page affidavit is enough.

Ask about sliding-scale

  • Tier A

    Up to 60% AMI

    40% off tuition

    Twelve seats reserved per year across all rooms.

  • Tier B

    60 to 80% AMI

    20% off tuition

    Eight seats reserved per year across all rooms.

  • Sibling

    All families

    10% off the younger child

    Stackable with sliding-scale tiers above.

Calendar

The school year, in one glance.

Closures, parent conferences, big days. We send a two-page PDF every August. This is what it looks like.

Sep

September

First day of school · staggered starts for Seedlings

Oct

October

Harvest festival · fall parent conferences

Nov

November

Closed for Thanksgiving week

Dec

December

Winter solstice gathering · closed 22 Dec to 2 Jan

Jan

January

Midyear portfolios sent home

Feb

February

Lunar new year · winter forest days

Mar

March

Spring parent conferences

Apr

April

Earth week · family work day

May

May

Kindergarten transition panel · spring portfolios

Jun

June

Last day · summer camp registration opens

Fall 2026 enrollment open

Start with a tour. The rest we’ll walk through.

Tuition math, sliding-scale options, part-time logistics. We do it in person, not in a packet.

Book a campus tourSee the classrooms