The Early Learning People

It started with children. Melissa and Cody began working together at a preschool in 2019, providing early childhood education and care. Over the years, the two continued to work together and share ideas about how to best serve children and families. Now, though not at a common school, Melissa and Cody share a common vision - supporting children, families, educators, and communities in working together to build sustainable small worlds where children learn and flourish.

  • (He/They)

    Having working in Early Childhood Education since 2012, Cody’s experience includes a mental health therapeutic nursery, PSU’s Helen Gordon Child Development Center, and an in-home preschool/daycare. Currently, Cody works for Western Oregon University as a Regional Child Care Educator, providing care and education for children and families at many schools in the Portland Metro Area.

    Cody also enjoys spending time going on long walks with his dog, reading, and exploring the beautiful places throughout the Pacific Northwest.

  • (She/Her)

    Melissa’s passion for working with children grew through exploring Pacific Northwest forests with young learners. She has earned a BA in Biology (focused on invertebrate ecology) from Lewis and Clark College, and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Portland State University. Melissa has worked as an early education consultant, presented research internationally, collaborated with educators in Reggio Emilia as a part of a pedagogical leadership cohort, and worked as an adjunct faculty in the ECE Graduate program at PSU. In addition to work with the Threads of Justice Collective in Portland, Melissa has been a classroom preschool teacher for over a decade. In her teaching, Melissa is committed to anti-bias work and inclusion, making thinking visible, children’s emotional intelligence, and helping to co-create, with children, strong and supportive communities that learn and think together.

    When not with children you can find Melissa spending time with her new baby! Or with her family, outside: sailing, hiking, canoeing, working in their garden, walking their dog and appreciating uncharismatic microfauna (bugs!).