Whee! Our approach is that the children are our priority, the parents/guardians are our customers, and the teachers are the superglue that hold everyone together. So when we support the teachers, everything else works out for the best.
Our professional obligation to children is to provide a balance of love, consistency, opportunities for independence, and fair boundaries.
Hello! My name is Meredith Sorensen (she/they). I am the lead teacher at Sunflower Preschool, and focused on cultivating a warm, welcoming, inclusive space for the children, team, and community.
My path into childcare has been circuitous. My earlier years were filled with long-distance hiking, biking, and educational adventures including Peace Corps in the Ivory Coast and Madagascar. Then, while getting my masters, I managed the Port of Portland’s innovative solid waste and recycling program (ask me about Alaska Airlines and ground control). For about a decade I got to dive deep with my favorite flavor of waste — organics — as the storyteller for a neat company that turned last night’s leftovers into today’s power, and tomorrow’s garden. I finally pivoted into the child care space in 2019 when we opened Mud Pies Preschool due to community need. We expanded our child care impact by opening Sunflower Preschool in 2024.
I carry a blend of these formative experiences into my role at Sunflower Preschool. When possible I like to splice in the languages I know such as Malagasy, French and Spanish (and slowly, ASL). When I’m not at the school(s) you can often find me doing a project with my partner, Gene, or biking around the neighborhood with our two young children.
Hello! My name is Isaiah-Zakai Spann, a creative soul with a passion for making a positive impact. I graduated from PSU with a specialization in developmental psychology, driven by a deep desire to understand and support children’s growth.
My professional journey includes valuable experience in foster care and ABA therapy facilitation. I am particularly enthusiastic about nurturing young minds and helping them thrive every day.
As a creative educator, I weave my passion for music into my teaching style to create engaging and impactful learning experiences. Beyond my background in developmental psychology and experience in foster care and ABA therapy, I like to think I bring a unique dimension to education through music. I truly believe in the power of music to inspire, motivate, and connect with children on a deeper level.
Welcome to the journey of learning and growing together!
Hello my name is Corinna Hammer (she/her).
I started working at Sunflower School this past spring 2025 and the first thing to know is I love my job! Truly this age and life stage is a delight to me and I am grateful for this space and honored to be a part of every one of these kids’ lives.
I am also a part time Ceramicist and have always had my hands in some kind of art project. As a mom of three boys myself (now 17, 19 and 21), I was very involved as the volunteer Art Coordinator for the school Auction projects throughout their grade school years. I absolutely love the creative process which I think also lends well to being a preschool teacher. There are so many moments to engage in the creative process when working with the ever expanding and growing minds of littles.
I also have a lot of experiential knowledge with neuro-divergent kids from personal experience as all three of my boys are neuro “spicy”, as well as myself. I have been to all of the meetings and IEP reviews, 504 plans and child psych appointments as things unfolded for each of them during their educational careers and social lives. Through the process of discovering how my children’s brains work, I found myself saying “Oh Hey! That was my experience as well.. my ADHD was official at 42 (finally!). Fun fact, people with ADHD have many “super powers” of which a couple are “creative, outside of the box thinkers” and “works well with young children”. I’m super pro-diagnoses, and happy to chat with anyone curious to hear my perspective.
Outside of preschool you can find me slinging mud at my studio, taking long walks up Mt. Tabor with our sweet dog Paco, cooking up family meals, gardening, the occasional karaoke night with friends and planning our next adventure together (we just got back from visiting our son who currently lives on Kauai, Hawaii) as I firmly believe that travel is the best education.
Hello! – my name is Mimi Bruce (she/her).
I am back at preschool after many years away. Prior to landing at Sunflower (hooray!) in December 2025, my experiences with early childhood development include 3 years work at Portland State University’s Helen Gordan Child Development Center. I worked part-time while completing my bachelor’s degree in social science. After working a bit and exploring careers in elementary education and aviation (dreamed of being a pilot and had lessons for a year or so), I had 3 children of my own. I spent several years at home with them learning and growing together (gardening, cooking, reading and playing). These years included several as a parent-helper in their play-based cooperative preschool (Portland Tillamook Preschool). My experiences at Helen Gordon and Tillamook Preschool shaped my own approach to raising my kids and my strong belief that having lots of time and freedom to play and explore while also practicing respect for oneself and others is the best environment for young kids. I am so happy to have found Sunflower, and to do work that feels truly valuable and important in the world.
Aside from that – kids are such a kick! I love their imaginations, role playing, wise and wild musings, and silly stuff too. They remind me of some of the best parts of myself. In the rest of my life, I enjoy gardening, reading, laughing and spending time with friends and family – especially my own kids- who are now all adults!
Hi! My name is Jacklyn Nguyen, but everyone calls me Jackie (she/her). I have over six years of experience working with children and absolutely love what I do. I started my childcare journey with a women owned babysitting agency that provided free childcare to working parents. I spent three years there learning what it takes to be a supportive and dependable childcare provider, and I built meaningful relationships with families that I still keep in touch with today.
For the past three years, I’ve worked as a before- and after- school program teacher with DDSS and PPS. Working with children from all different backgrounds is incredibly rewarding for me, and I love getting to see their growth, personalities, and confidence develop every day. Being a safe and caring space for children while their parents are away is something I truly value, and it makes my work feel very meaningful.
Outside of the classroom, I enjoy living a calm and balanced life. I love reading especially romance books and spending time outdoors with friends and family whenever I can. I also have a little Pomeranian who means the world to me and is often the highlight of my day!
See ya later, excavator!
JOB SITE POSTING FOR REFERENCE (we don’t hire frequently, but when we do it’s nice to have this at-the-ready)
Sunflower Preschool, a play-based preschool in southeast Portland, opened in September 2024. At some juncture we will likely expand our team. If you adore children ages 2-5, enjoy spending time outdoors, and believe in play, we may be the place for you! Experience preferred but we are also willing to train the right person.
A strong candidate for this position believes in play- and child-directed learning, practices respectful communication toward children, trusts in children’s natural development, and is willing to learn and reflect as an educator. Additionally, this person is able to support children through conflict resolution and is comfortable with big emotions as a natural part of early childhood development. Also preferred: flexibility, positive attitude, and great sense of humor. There is no shortage of laughter when it comes to teaching little humans!
Program hours and shifts range between 7:15 am and 5:45 pm. We have a maximum of 13 children per day. We aim to develop long-term relationships with the team, children, and families. Evening meetings (paid) can occur up to ~2x/month. Occasional weekend and evening events may be required of staff up to 2-3 times per year. Must be able to commit to one year.
Job duties include: Supervising children, setting up and maintaining play spaces, supporting conflict resolution, providing social-emotional support, conducting observation and assessment, preparing food and cleaning up, completing diaper changes/supporting potty training, and communicating with team and families.
Must be able to meet physical demands: requires lifting, carrying, pushing, and or pulling up to 30 pounds on a frequent basis, and up to 50 pounds occasionally. Prolonged periods of sitting, standing, and walking may be required. Stooping, squatting, bending, balancing, reaching, and use of hands may occur throughout the workday. Lifting and carrying children ages 2 to 5 years may also occur. Must be capable of working outdoors for 2-4 hour blocks of time in all types of weather.
WE OFFER:
• Starting pay $20.50/hr depending on experience
• Paid Holidays (after 90 days), including 3-4 full weeks of paid vacation
• Paid annual training and reimbursement for individual training (*approved by director)
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Monthly Team Meetings
• Partially paid health insurance benefits (after 90 days)
• Friendly co-workers, awesome families, super space and amazing children
REQUIRED (prior to employment): (all here: https://www.oregon.gov/delc/providers/pages/required-training.aspx)
- Enrollment in Oregon’s Childcare Central Background (CBR) Registry
- Foundations for Learning (FFL)
- Safe Sleep for Oregon’s Infants
- Prevention is Better Than Treatment
- Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (RRCAN) Training
- Pediatric CPR/First Aid certifications
- Food Handler’s Card
If you are interested in applying, please email your resume and a separate paragraph explaining why you would make a great fit for our program. Please include at least two references. Our interview/onboarding process includes:
- an initial screening interview (~20 minutes, phone)
- a working interview (~2-4 hours, paid, in person)
Thank you!