About Us

ESP is a multicultural preschool center located in Multnomah County at the Rose City area in NE Portland. We provide high quality and well-rounded educational programs for diverse groups of children and their families. We value different cultures and invite children and families to share their traditions in our learning programs through lesson plans and the family engagement activities.

We provide a safe learning environment where all children with different abilities feel physically and emotionally safe to learn and develop their skills. We provide services and work with other professionals to create learning plans to ensure that children with special needs can learn alongside with their typically developing peers.

Our team is fully diverse. The teachers and director in our program are from the diverse communities who understand the needs of children and families.

                                                               






Hi, I'm Dee Hayward, owner and director of Every Step Preschool. I have been in Early Childhood Education (ECE) for over 18 years. As a mom, educator, and ECE program leader I have the knowledge and experience to design and provide preschool services that meet the needs of every child in my program.

I deeply care and am passionate about educating and caring for young children. I am committed to providing the best care and education to every child in my program. I believe that every child matters and should have access to the highest quality of care and education available. All children deserve a great start to help them build all the necessary skills ready for schooling and their futures. I will make sure that every area of my learning environment is supportive, reflective, and motivational so our students will learn and have fun. I strive to create a physically and emotionally safe environment for all children and families who come to my care and education program.

I have built my career around creating early childhood programs that emphasize inclusion, diversity, and equity. I welcome all children and families from all different backgrounds, cultures and abilities. I believe it's important to encourage our students to embrace their culture as well as learn others.

I'm very excited to take part in your child's learning journey as well as create a partnership with all families. I strive to make ESP secure and safe for all children. I will make sure to always keep my door open for families, staff, and children in my program to ensure all voices are heard and included.

Listed below is more information about my qualification and work experience.


My work and experiences

For more than 18 years I have been working and specializing in culturally responsive early childhood and preschool programs. The start of my journey was my own child care business in England, which I ran for 7 years before immigrating to the US. Within the US and past 11 years I have worked in many divisions of child care. I have worked positions here in Portland as a social worker, preschool director and developer, and a program director for the early learning department of a non-profit organization.

My qualification 

Master's degree in Education (Early Childhood: Inclusive Education)

Bachelor's degree in Social Work (Child and Family Studies) 

Associate's degree in Early Education and Family Studies

Certified Oregon Registry Master Trainer

Diploma in Home-Based Child Care (From England)

About the owner
Dee Hayward
Owner/Director of Every Step Preschool

Our Vision Statement

ESP will become a learning program recognized for providing exceptional care and education for students and families from a diverse range of cultures, backgrounds and abilities. We believe that each child will cultivate their own desires for their educational outcome. We hope by providing a supportive, safe, and welcoming learning environment we will not only set up our students for future success but also encourage our students to explore and navigate themselves through their own learning journey and the diverse world that surrounds them.

Our Mission

ESP is committed to delivering an educational program that is exceptional, comprehensive, and inclusive for all children and families from different backgrounds and cultures. We strive to provide a secure and nurturing learning environment for our students so they can build their skills and prepare them for their future educational journey.

Our Team

ESP will be managed by the program director/owner, Dee. Dee will provide overall classroom management while also conducting administrative work to ensure all areas of the business are supported, and to maintain high quality care and education for the children.

Our teachers will be qualified, trained and selected to work with children and families from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The teachers will not only be teaching the children based on each child’s specific learning styles and needs, but will comprehend the different backgrounds of the children so that they can learn in a space that allows for their diversity to be embraced.

Each of our staff members will have clear roles and responsibilities that will be presented to them from the beginning of their hiring. Prior to the hiring process, we will carry out a CBR (Central Background Registry) check on all of our applicants which they will have to pass in order for the hiring process to continue to ensure safety within our learning environment.

We also provide training throughout the time of their employment that allows them to improve their knowledge to serve the children and their families better. We want our preschool to be a place that is able to adapt to the ever-changing needs of our families, which means that we will continue to work as a team as well as with the families to improve the way we run the preschool.