Ashcreek Playschool, located in Beaverton Oregon, is in jeopardy. 

Ashcreek Playschool is a half day, non-profit, preschool and kindergarten. Each classroom focuses on age and developmentally appropriate activities and lessons with emphasis on building up the whole child. We strive to not only provide intellectually educational learning activities, but also help to develop emotional intelligence, kindness, and empathy. We believe that by meeting a child where they are as an individual and encouraging their innate curiosity and desire to learn, we can set each child on a successful path.

Our school is the only moderately sized cooperative school between Tigard and Cedar Mills, which may not seem like a large geographical area. However, when considering that to the east, the nearest parent cooperative is in Southwest Portland, this is a large area in which childcare options like ours are just not available. In addition, as a non-profit organization we keep our tuition low, opening the opportunity for an exceptional start to children’s educational journeys to families who may otherwise be unable to afford the same opportunity at other, traditional and for profit, schools.

Early childhood experiences and the environments in which children find themselves are critical to their development. By providing a loving, safe, enriching, and tight-knit and supportive school children are better able to rise to their full potential. Teachers develop curriculum that is engaging to the children in their care. You will see literacy, science, and math activities as well as dramatic play, cooperative play, art, fine and gross motor skill development, and nature-based activities. We believe in fitting the curriculum to the children – not the other way around.

We believe in community building. As a co-op, building a strong community goes along naturally with our school philosophy. Our families build strong connections with each other as parents teach alongside other parents led by the classroom teacher and we take responsibility for everyone in our children’s classes. We love our school, we love our kids, and we love our community. 

We have recently been made aware that the facility we operate out of, Murray Hills Christian Church, was not properly permitted for a school of our size. Although we are a very small school, the Conditional Use Permit, written in 2001, limits the size to twenty students and two teachers on site. We currently have twenty-six students at our highest enrolled day and three teachers. The current Board of Murray Hills Christian Church was also unaware of these restrictions while allowing us to operate. We are currently working towards updating the Conditional Use Permit so that we can continue our work for the children of our community. However, we are meeting some resistance.

Two neighbors next to the church have complained about playground noise. They do not like to hear children playing on the playground. Most of the complaints are regarding playground use outside of our operating hours and are not related to our school, however, Ashcreek has found itself in the crosshairs because of the Conditional Use Permit. The playground noise occurs during regular daytime hours, so the neighbors have no legal recourse regarding neighborhood children and their families using the playground. There is legal recourse regarding the use of the playground by Ashcreek because of the Conditional Use Permit. Over the past two months, since we were made aware of the situation, we have kept all of this given information in mind and adapted activity in an attempt to make peace with the neighbors in question. We will continue to try and find solutions to limit our impact on these two neighbors as a school. It is important to us to have good relationships with those in the neighborhood.

We need this space. As a non-profit school we need a low-cost space to operate out of. We have searched for other options and come up empty handed. We spoke with a commercial leasing agent, a commercial realtor, and a lender. We simply do not have the funds and collateral to move that direction. We contacted approximately thirty area churches and received six responses – none of these six churches had space available.

The implications and fallout of a preschool closing in this area at this time are vast and devastating for the families and children involved. There are currently 29 families enrolled in the school, some with multiple children. If Ashcreek Playschool were no longer to exist, those 29 families will lose their school in an area already in a childcare crisis.

Aside from our families being impacted by this situation, our staff of five individuals, mostly made up of parents of children who either attend or have previously attended Ashcreek, will all be out of jobs. These folks have passionately spent their time dedicated to providing enriching experiences to our children and the children of this community. This would put them, as well as their families, at risk of adverse challenges, especially when considering the looming possibility of an economic recession. 

We need to demonstrate to Murray Hills Christian Church and to the City of Beaverton that we have community support. Their support is necessary to update the Conditional Use Permit that allows us to operate. Quality early childhood education is so incredibly important to the immediate community and to our society as a whole that it is difficult to put into succinct words. We cannot allow a school like Ashcreek Playschool to close because we got caught in the middle of an argument about the existence of a playground. We appreciate your support in our efforts!