Jessica Nelson
Lead Teacher
Hello! I’m thrilled you are interested in my preschool program. Here’s a little about me. I’m a married mom of 2 amazing boys who are 11 and 13 years old. I grew up in Juneau, Alaska and moved to WA to attend college. After working in retail for many years I had kids and decided it was time to switch careers and become a preschool teacher. I started a small program in my home in 2010 when my youngest son was 3 months old. Since then we purchased a larger house with a dedicated preschool space. I’m very passionate about early childhood education and attend many hours of training each year to become more knowledgeable. I’m very involved in the childcare community and in PRO (provider resource organization) and am the secretary on the board as well as running our local Clackamas chapter. I believe children need to have as much fun at preschool as possible and learn at their own pace. Kindness and empathy are incredibly important and I want everyone to feel welcome and embraced. I love spending time with my family, snowboarding, taking walks with our dog Reggie (a labradoodle), watching action flicks and going on vacations.
“Thank you for all your love, kindness and care towards our family. The boys are the luckiest to have you during such an important time in their lives. We are so thankful for all that you pour into every child and all the ways you cultivate their learning & development. We are exptremely thankful for your flexibility, reliability and for being such a strong constant in our lives. You are truly one of a kind & a real gem!”
Qualifications and Trainings
20+ hours of training in child development annually
Infant/child first aid and CPR card
Health and Safety training
Food handler’s card
Enrollment in Oregon’s background registry
A minimum of 20 hours in preschool specific training
Member of the Child Care Resource and Referral Childcare Cohort which provides monthly trainings.
PRO (provider resource organization) board member and local chapter facilitator
Nelson’s Little Monkeys is a certified program with the Oregon Early Learning Division
“Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child. Earlier is not better.”
-Magda Gerber