I am excited to work at Escuela Viva and get to know everyone here! I was raised and born here in Portland Oregon. I am 24 years old and have 4 doggies. I’ve recently purchased my first home and I am very excited to have my very own place to call my own. Six years ago I graduated High School. I didn’t know what career path to take but I knew I wanted to help families as best as I could. One year after being in college I was introduced to the Early Childhood Program. After taking one course I knew it was my passion. I graduated from Mt. Hood Community College with an Associates in Applied Science. My major was Child Development and Early Childhood Education. I have a few years of experience working with young toddlers and infants. I have worked as an assistant teacher, toddler teacher, Head Teacher/ Provider for an in-home child care center, and have been HR/Management for a few months. I have always enjoyed learning more and expanding my knowledge of early childhood education and development. I believe in treating children with respect and letting them be as independent as they can. On my time off I enjoy spending time with my family and dogs/cat. I love going to the beach and finding new places to explore with friends.

Hello Escuela Viva families. My name is Vanessa Vizcaino. I am 23 years old; I grew up in southern Oregon and spent a lot of my summers in Mexico immersing myself in the culture, traditions and language. I relocated to Portland in 2020. I have worked in early childhood since I was 18 and I have 5 years of experience working with children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age in Reggio Emilia, Waldorf and Montessori centers.I was exposed to childcare at a young age because my mom worked in the field for 18 years. I started nannying early on and was with a family for about 6 years before I transitioned into working at early childhood centers full time. I have worked with the local school district, the state as a PSW, and preschools as well. I absolutely love working with children. I love teaching and I love all the wonderful things we can learn from children. When I am not working, I love exploring the outdoors, traveling, and going to local farmers markets

My name is Colleen Freeman and I am excited to join the Escuela Viva Team!

I was born in Ashland, Oregon, but have lived in many different locations around the United States such as Nevada, Florida, California, and Colorado! I moved back to Oregon two years ago because I loved the nature and the people out here and was ready for a slower pace of life after moving from Los Angeles!

I value communication and hard work! I believe that the people you surround yourself with, whether it’s friends or the people you work with, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness.

I completed my high school diploma in Florida and am currently working on my undergrad in pre-law. My educational and career goals are to become a family law attorney! I take a great interest in child care development and protection and have enjoyed my time working with small children.

I have experience as a substitute, assistant, and lead teacher in Early Learning Development centers and am well-versed in creating a fun and developmentally appropriate environment when a child can feel comfortable to grow and learn about the world around them!
 

I can’t wait to begin my time at Escuela Viva and meet all the wonderful staff, parents, and children that make this community possible!

I started in the early educational world 18 years ago. Working as a registered and certified home child care provider through the State of Oregon, I provided child care for migrant families. After that, I studied English as a second language and got into college classes, where I earned an associate degree in early childhood and education. I am passionate about learning, and I believe that a professional teacher is a life long learning process. For this reason, I will continue my studies in higher education. I love teaching, I enjoy sharing learning spaces and I am always open to learn from others. I understand education as a shared system of learning between students, professors, and families. My philosophy on childcare is building healthy relationships, building skills through play, and facilitating a space that is guided by children’s interests.
   My favorite hobbies have always included learning, reading, and sharing moments with my family. I love creativity and creating things with my hands. I love to spend time around nature, and learning to play an instrument is one of my dreams.

I grew up on the edge of a redwood forest in Santa Cruz, CA. I have a passion for nature, and enjoy backpacking, trail running, and exploring different natural landscapes. I have a degree in ceramic sculpture and I maintain an art practice in my personal studio in the industrial district of Northwest Portland. I have been working in child care facilities for the last 9 years ranging through a variety of educational approaches. After several extended trips to South America with a dear friend from Colombia, I have developed a love for both the language and many cultures spanning the continent. While I am still learning the language, I have built a foundation in Spanish to jump off of and engage further with the children. I enjoy helping children to find their passions and explore the world with a touch of creativity and curiosity. I am excited to teach with Escuela Viva and also learn along with a new group of children. 

Hello, my name is Sandra Cecilia Olguin. Pronouns are she/her. I am a Mexican American born in Chula Vista, California, and raised in Los Angeles. I moved to Portland Oregon in 2019 and have learned to love my new home. I enjoy working with kids and have 18+ years of experience ranging from 3 months old to 11 years. I feel communication is key to almost everything. I like to work as a team and will give my all to make it a safe environment for the children. In my free time, I like to design cups and shirts, and other crafts along with acrylic paintings.

Hola, my name is Maria Ramirez. I am 23 years old and a native Spanish speaker. I am the oldest of 6. I also have a daughter named Naydyn. She’ll be 8, Dec. 23rd. I’ve been a sub for Escuela Viva for the last 6 months. I’ve also subbed at In A Child’s Path/ Wild Lilac. I’m really excited to be a part of such a close community. When I’m not at Escuela Viva, you’ll find me at home with Naydyn helping her with homework or watching a film. Naydyn and I often travel to Mexico. Most of our family lives in a state called Puebla. We also enjoy camping. (fun fact: Both Naydyn and I were born at the OHSU hospital in Portland). We love the rain, so going for walks in the rain is our thing. Overall I can be very silly when it comes to hanging out with children. I really do enjoy being around them. I always leave Escuela Viva with the biggest smile on my face.

Hi my name is Sofia Fuentes!

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I was born and raised in a remote farming village in Guatemala.
I took care of many animals and immersed myself in the beauty of nature. I worked with the plants and cultivated the simplicity of survival on the motherland. I know the wonders of the great Mayan culture and language, (the dialect is Akateko “Q’anjob’al”), as well as Spanish. I love to teach these two languages and English as well to children. I am an active and enthusiastic teacher who takes learning as life, love to spend time outdoors and foster this within the youth. I also truly believe in teaching the importance of independence, but I am not afraid to ensure that the rules are followed in a peaceful way. I also really believe it is important that each child express their true self and no expression of self is denied, in the importance of each child’s growth in personality.

As I teach, I also learn from the children as they teach me to become a more patient and present individual. I learned that if we work as a team, we can accomplish so many things. These children just need some guidance; they will flourish just like us, as they are individuals equal just like us, so they need to understand and believe in this by our instruction and guidance, as well as their own exploration. I am never afraid of really getting down on the kid’s level and really understanding where they are at. I want them to feel like I’m almost their kid friend who gets what they’re going through.

I am interested in putting myself into the shoes of those that I interact with in life as much as I can. This allows me to be there for them and for them to be able to be there for me. I look forward to working with you and your children in the following times ahead.

I wanted to take the time to introduce myself. I am Oscar. I am 23 years young. I am from Guatemala and moved to the states about 12 years ago. I went to Reynolds High School and that is where my career path started. I have wanted to become a teacher ever since I was a Junior in high school. I did not know what age group at the time. I came to Mount Hood Community College and I joined the program after trying out some other majors too. The ECE program made me think about me being a teacher again and I loved it. I want to become a teacher, and I am so grateful that my career path is almost over at MHCC, but it will not stop there.

Magnetism/Philosophy: I am trained in the Reggio Emilia approach, PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Supports), and Anti-Bias Curriculum. I play a little guitar and do a little sign language.

Experience: 27 years teaching 2-6-year-olds. I have been involved with OAEYC (Oregon Association for Education of Young Children) for over 30 years. I occasionally do workshops for educators regarding the importance of outdoor learning for your children. I am currently working toward a Master Trainers status.

Personal Touches: I have a son that is 40 and a daughter 30. I am also a Grandmother. I enjoy traveling, gardening, and reading. I believe we are all lifelong learners. I believe that with collaboration and partnership we can plant powerful seeds of wisdom, knowledge, confidence, and compassion in children’s minds.

My name is Marisol Pichardo Barrales. I'm originally from Oaxaca, Mexico and Spanish was my first language. I am a pastry chef at heart and I love activities related to art, creativity and culture. Thanks to this skill, I was invited by the Albina Early Head Start and Jason Lee Early Head Start schools to share recipes and do baking projects with the children. I have been a volunteer at Sacajawea Early Head start while one of my children attended that program. It was very fun and exciting interacting with the children that I decided to work as a preschool teacher. 
 
I started the adventure of working in early childhood in April 2015 until now in Escuela Viva performing different roles. I am currently taking child development classes and training at Mount Hood Community College to continuously improve my job performance. As a teacher, I think that theory and experience are good tools to support our children, but imagination is the pencil with which the child paints their best adventures.

Hello, I am Maggie Fromholtz. I began my work in education first as a Naturalist at the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center in Yellow Springs, Ohio. There I developed a teaching style that was both facilitator and demonstrative in style.

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After leaving the Glen, I was fortunate enough to work in a Montessori/Reggio blend
preschool in Denver Colorado where I continued to incorporate my love of the outdoors into the Montessori classroom. It was there that my calling to the art of
teaching blossomed. While in Portland I have volunteered as a Naturalist with Metro parks, where I was able to expand my environmental education techniques and knowledge. I have taught at a neighborhood preschool. And, as a volunteer at my children’s elementary school, I designed and implemented an outdoor education enrichment program. As I moved through life, I eventually made changes that involved staying home with my two children. Now as my girls are grown and my youngest is off to her next adventure I look to my years of teaching experience for my source of new focus. I am excited and eager to return to the classroom, meet all the families, and share in the many learning experiences that lie ahead.

My name is Tammy (they/them), and I am so excited to join the Escuela Viva community. After a childhood spent in Los Angeles, I moved to San Francisco for school where I studied Child and Adolescent Development, as well as Art and Gender Studies. I got my first job in preschool at 18 years old, and after over a decade later, I still cannot think of a better place to be! I love sharing space with young people, and learning (and unlearning) alongside them. Community is very important to me, and I dedicate a lot of my energy towards building an intentional community filled with warmth, authenticity, and respect. When not working, I organize with the Portland Childcare Collective, as well as local groups supporting Reproductive Justice . I also love to spend time creating art, harvesting food at the coast with my partner, cooking for friends, and growing food in my garden. 

My name is Jesse Quinlan (they/he). I am 24 years old, my sun sign is Libra, and my favorite color is yellow! I have roughly four years of hands-on experience working with children aged 0-5, and I truly have never enjoyed any other type of work more. I gained most of my experience as a floater/substitute teacher at West Hills Learning Center in SW Portland. Most recently I was a co-teacher in the 2 ½ to 3 ½ class at Evergreen Child Development Center in Wilsonville. In addition to my work at Escuela Viva, I am the assistant manager at LEKA Playland in Tigard (which I cannot recommend enough!). I enjoy working with all age groups, but I feel like I do my best work with children aged 15 months to three years. So much development is happening at a very rapid pace, and it feels like if you blink, you’ll miss everything!

Additionally, my experience as a non-binary transgender person plays a large part in my personal teaching philosophy. I work to remove gender roles and heteronormativity in my classroom; if they have questions for me, I am open with the children about my gender identity. It’s crucial that young children have the space and opportunity to explore who they are and how they feel about their place in the world, and it’s also important for transgender children to see positive representation of gender non-conforming individuals as adults. Escuela Viva has been a very warm and inviting school community, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to work with so many wonderful teachers, students, and parents!

Hello! My name is Mayah and I am a substitute here at Escuela Viva. I have been volunteering at Escuela Viva since I was 14 years old and attended here as a child. I have been surrounded by Spanish since I was a baby, Escuela Viva was a large part of that. I took Spanish beginning in middle school and high school. I just graduated from Lincoln high school last year but have been babysitting infants, toddlers, and older children since I was 13 years old for numerous families, some from Escuela Viva! In high school, I also worked with 4th- 8th graders as a softball camp counselor and worked several weeks as a counselor for Oregon’s Outdoor School program. During those weeks, I was able to experience and appreciate the wonders that an outdoor and hands-on learning environment can do for a child’s development. I was able to experience the other side of learning outdoors as a student last summer when I participated in a three-month backpacking adventure where I learned about living harmoniously with the natural world. Being able to learn and teach outdoors is very special to me and held a pivotal role in molding me into who I am today.

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Creativity is another feature of education that I greatly value. I love everything that has to do with the arts and expression, and even though I might not be talented in all aspects of it, I like to practice many of its different forms. Drawing, sewing, and embroidery playing the guitar, writing, and painting are all forms of art that I enjoy doing and sharing with others. Being able to express oneself can be difficult for some, and for me, art is an important part of reflecting and being able to move about the world in a kind and loving manner. I am very excited to be working here at the school as I have a deep appreciation of early learning and childcare programs. I believe early education is critical in advancing children in the world, as it provides them with skills to communicate, problem-solve, and act with compassion and love. I am looking forward to sharing my wonderment of nature and creativity with the children of the Escuela Viva community. 

Hola, my name is Angie Garcia and I am the owner and multi-site director of Escuela Viva. I was born and raised in Oregon and I am the proud granddaughter of migrant workers from Fabens Texas. They instilled in all of us the value of hardwork and the importance of getting an education, which is how I landed here.  I began my educational journey after graduating from Portland State University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts and in 1997 with a Masters of Social Work. I worked in the field of Domestic Violence as a social worker.  In all of my work I have had the honor of working with an array of vulnerable populations, children, domestic violence survivors, the aging, and those in recovery. I have worked for Multnomah County managing Child Abuse Prevention contracts, and the State of Oregon as a permancy worker. When I had my first child and could not find the early childhood program I wanted for her, I started Escuela Viva in the basement of my home. We opened our doors to the first group of children in July of 2004.

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Using my life to be of service to others, is at the heart of all I do. With this in at the forefront, I created Escuela Viva's purpose statement:

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To create a highly respected revolutionary early childhood program/model that directly enhances the lives of the whole school community and contributes to the betterment of our community at large. 

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Our school community works tirelessly to this end. 

When I am not working, I am living the life of a single mama. I have two amazing children, Mayah and Eddie. 

We live in Portland, where we hike, meditate, cook and bake, garden and share a lot of love and laughter with our community of family and friends.