ABOUT PENINSULA CHILDREN'S CENTER
Founded in 1970 as St. Johns Day Care, Peninsula started out in a church basement with seven children. The founders of Peninsula Children’s Center were so committed to their goal of providing quality, affordable child care that a sliding-scale fee system was in place within a year of the center’s opening – ensuring that families of all income levels would have access to quality child care and education. Today, we have the capacity to serve 240 children out of five locations, all based in a state-of-the-art, community financed child care center.
Peninsula Children’s Center is an independent nonprofit 
organization, overseen by a volunteer board of directors in conjunction with Executive Director Deborah Murray. Deborah has a Master of Arts degree in Human Development with a specialization in Early Childhood Education and she has more than 30 years experience working with children and families.
Our Philosophy
Peninsula Children’s Center offers quality child care combining care and education for infants through school-age children. Our children learn through structured play and positive interactions with adults and friends in a child-centered environment. Early literacy skills, creative arts, and outdoor activities are included daily.
Peninsula Children’s Center has a long history of collaborations, partnerships and other program enhancements that enrich existing programs and add new services. Highlights include:
- Incredible Years Project / Morrison Child & Family Services Collaboration. Through the placement of an Incredible Years Early Childhood Consultant in our center, parents and teachers have access to additional tools and support – including a series of free parenting classes – toward promoting positive child development. Morrison Child & Family Services
- Music & Art Project. Thanks to generous grant and foundation support, Peninsula has a vibrant music and art program that includes an ongoing partnership with the Children’s Museum and a music curriculum led by a children’s music specialist. Portland Children’s Museum
- National accreditation. Through the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Washington, D.C., Peninsula’s staff and teachers are working to fulfill the requirements of this national effort to upgrade the quality of group child care programs.
NAEYC