Our Teachers
Youngset Cooperative Preschool is fortunate to have experienced, dedicated teachers who are committed to the quality of the preschool program. All Youngset teachers attend professional workshops and conferences. They are members of Parent Child Preschool of Oregon (PCPO), Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (OAEYC), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Lynn Peterson
Lynn Peterson has been teaching at Youngset for 13 years. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and finished her teaching degree at Portland State. Lynn has been involved with education for more than 30 years teaching in co-op schools, traditional preschools, and day care centers. She feels a strong commitment to the preschool co-op philosophy. She thinks the ideal teaching situation is where children, parents and teachers all work together.

Lynn recognizes that children come to school with different temperaments at different stages of development and with personal styles and skills. She believes that children learn best by participating in hands-on, experience-based activities. Her classroom settings encourage the natural curiosity of the child while promoting opportunities to develop skills to cooperate with others. Her classes are usually happy, busy, a bit loud, and often silly. She views classroom activities as opportunities to problem solve and as the means to provide learning experiences in concept building and conflict resolution. Lynn is currently serving on the Board of Parent Child Preschools of Oregon (PCPO). In April 2002 Lynn received a District award from Parent-Co-Op Preschools International (PCPI) for her contributions to the organization and her dedication to the parent co-operative preschool movement.  

Barb McConachie
Barb McConachie is returning to Youngset after being away for two years. While she was gone, she worked as a Teachers Aide at an elementary school. She had taught at Youngset for four years prior, and also at Sunset Preschool for eight years. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Barb met her husband, Craig, they married, and together they raised their daughter, Robin and their son, Eric.

Barb has enjoyed working with young children as long as she can remember and feels committed to helping her preschoolers and their young parents journey through the first years of school. Along with a Developmentally Appropriate classroom philosophy, she is devoted to helping children find their voice amongst their peers. Time is spent each day identifying feelings, attempting to use words in lieu of aggression, celebrating successes, and delighting in everyday happenings. Barb feels that when parents, care givers, and teachers educate themselves about how children learn, and then work together as a team, an optimum environment can be created to promote creativity, curiosity, and discovery for children.

Alison Arditi
This is Teacher Alison's 2nd year as our Assistant Teacher.  Alison is a native Oregonian with over 7 years experience working with preschool age children.  A graduate of Wilson high School, Alison was enrolled in the Wilson Preschool Program, where she began her love of working with children.  Currently, she is working on her degree in Elementary Education at Portland State University, and most recently worked as the Camp Coordinator for Southwest Community Center.  Alison’s caring and gentle personality will be a great fit at Youngset.  She looks forward to working closely with the families this year to make preschool a positive and successful experience for each child.