Directors/Owners

Our school is run by a two woman show- Jeannie and Susan. We like to think of ourselves as a dynamic mother-daughter superhero team, but most of the time we’re just regular people. In the summer sun of 2017, we gathered up our friends and family and worked very hard  creating a space to welcome children. A few months later, we opened the doors to our first  enrolled children which included Susan’s children, and Jeannie’s grandchildren, Jude and Via. Together, we have slowly been shaping the school into an engaging learning space that reflects the interests and needs of our group.

Turns out, a lot of preschoolers have younger siblings, and two years after the preschool started we opened our infant/toddler site. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit that Spring and we were forced to close the infant/toddler site and operate mixed age emergency child care for a few years at the preschool site. During the first pandemic year we also ran a small K/1 program that provided in-person screen-free education for the school year.

As the urgency of the pandemic lifted, we had an unexpected opportunity to buy the house right next door to the preschool and ran our first summer of school age camps in 2022. That fall we also opened Sprouts, a reenvisioned and much closer version of our previous infant/toddler house.

It has been a truly wild and fantastic ride.

Jeannie Suihkonen

I am proud to say that I have chosen to be in the Early Childhood Education field for 35 years! During this time I both owned and operated my own successful family child care business and taught at Head Start, A Family Place Relief Nursery, and Nike’s Vivian Stringer Child Development Center. I have my degree in Early Childhood Education and I am also a trainer of child care workers through Portland State University, Center for Career Development. For me, being with children is not a way of work, but a way of life. As Deb Curtis puts it, I aim “to put the adult agenda aside and see the perspectives and the amazing ways [children] experience the world.”

I am also the mother of two amazing children who are now adults. They have grown our family to include their awesome partners and my two wonderful grandchildren. I have always believed that there is nothing more important than taking great care of our children, not only because it is so much fun but because it invites a better tomorrow for all of us.

Susan Nasiombe

Working for and with children is an unrelenting passion of mine that has only grown stronger in each new phase of life. I have had the incredible privilege to travel internationally, to earn a Masters degree while studying Social Justice Education, and to be called ‘mama’ by two strong and curious children. I have grown tremendously during time spent as a preschool teacher in private centers, Head Start, and family child care, and I am excited to be a creative force behind a program of my own.

Teachers

You know that feeling when you leave your child in the care of someone else, and you totally know it’s going to be fine and they’ll have an amazing time, but also you feel that pang of grief as you let go? That’s kinda how Susan and Jeannie felt as we began hiring teachers so that we could step out of the classroom and into the office more often.  The energy, creativity, and beauty these teacher bring into the space each day has been awesome to witness. They have caring relationships with our children and work tirelessly to evoke wonder, and spread curiosity. We couldn’t ask for a better team.

Just so you are aware, all of our teachers are required to pass a criminal background check, have a current pediatric First Aid & CPR certificate and Food Handlers card. They are also required to take Oregon’s required provider classes and receive an additional 15 hours of annual professional development.

Teacher Jude

Hello! I’m Jude. I’m not really from any one particular place but I’m excited to call Portland, and now Wild Pear, my home. I have an MA in secondary education but I’ve spent most of my professional life working in animal care and behavior before switching to early childhood education, which has been the best decision I’ve ever made! Working with children has taught me so much about being a person and being a learner and has brought me so much joy. 

A few other things about me: I live with my partner and two excellent cats, Minnie and Beatrice; I lived in San Francisco for 7 years before coming to Portland; I got my undergraduate degree in fine arts and love to draw, paint and collage, and my favorite book is The Little Prince. I’m so glad to meet you!