PELP About Us

Portland Early Learning Project is the product of a shared love of enriching the lives of young children.

We accomplish this by providing high quality, engaging and empowering classes to children, their parents and their teachers.

Currently, we offer Baby Sign Language and Spanish Language in Play classes and worshops.

Stay tuned and check back often to keep abreast of all that PELP has to offer!

Kara first began working with children as a preschool teacher in Madison, WI using the Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy. Later, she obtained a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Wisconsin and Oregon state licensures, and a national Certificate of Clinical Competency with the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). Kara's education and training in Speech-Language Pathology has focused on the language development of young children. She has worked with children with & without developmental delays in private clinics, county-run programs, public schools, and preschools. A love for languages and travel has lead Kara to live and teach abroad in Bolivia, Argentina, and Italy. She has based her years of teaching Spanish on her specialized skills and knowledge of language acquisition in children.

Christina began teaching in a preschool in Brookfield, WI. It was then that she realized she had a deep interest in working with families to support parent/child relationships. Christina holds a Masters of Science degree in Speech Language Pathology, a national Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and has been state licensed in Wisconsin and Oregon. Her experience teaching children and their families includes working for county programs, preschools and public schools. She has worked with children who have special needs as well as typically developing children and has taught infants and toddlers in Spanish and English. Her extensive training and experience have given her a strong understanding of language acquisition, the developmental stages of infants, and how to be an effective teacher.

Sarah has been teaching baby sign language classes with PELP since the very beginning and played a role in PELP's foundation. Sarah also holds a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology and it is through her practice as a therapist that she first began using American Sign Language signs with infants and toddlers. Her experience includes working with children ages birth to five in preschools, hospitals and in children's homes. Sarah continues to practice as an early childhood therapist in Portland while teaching for PELP. Her sincere love for young children and her warm teaching style has made her a hit with PELP's parents and children!

Emily comes to PELP with a variety of compelling experiences and an obvious interest in caring for people and children in her community. Emily began teaching in a Montessori classroom with 3-6 year olds. After two years in her position, her love for travel and the Spanish language lead her to study in Chile. Upon her return, she shared her interest in Latin American culture with her students at the Montessori school, this time teaching Spanish. She later got her B.A. in Community Studies (Media & Social Change), trained as a doula, and volunteered with "Seeds of Learning" in Nicaragua. Her warm, patient, and fun teaching style has brought joy to many of our students, and makes her a great part of our PELP family!

"It is so fulfilling to see the youngest of children empowered by the ability to communicate. Collaborating with Kara to create PELP and working with such incredible families is an extremely gratifying experience!"

"Forming PELP alongside Christina is one of the most personally and professionaly rewarding endeavors I've pursued. I feel fortunate to have my passion and work be one in the same... always enjoying the unique giggles, eager voices, and individual personalities of each child to the fullest!"

Tara has absolutely loved seeing the children discover language in their own unique way. A current undergraduate student at Portland State University, Tara is pursuing a degree in Arts & Letters with a focus on Speech Communication and Spanish. In addition to studying at Portland State University, Tara has studied language at Mt. Allison University (New Brunswick, Canada), Phillips Universitaat (Marburg, Germany), and La Universidad de Belgrano (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Born in Japan, traveling to Eastern Asia, Central and South America, and Europe has allowed Tara to develop a passion for language and realize the importance of second language acquisition. She has volunteered for the Rotary Organization (in Oregon, Mazatlan, and Vitoria, Brazil), Special Olympics of Oregon, the Mexican Consulate in Portland, the Polytechnic University of Sinaloa, Mex., and is currently volunteering with OCHA (Oregon Council of Hispanic Advancement).

Kinsey has her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education with minors in Spanish and Psychology. She is currently pursuing an Masters in Bilingual Elementary Education from Oregon State University. This year she is student teaching full time at Atkinson Elementary in a Dual Immersion classroom. Kinsey has also volunteered in orphanages in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Romania.