St James Child Development Center

St James Child Development Center is a Daycare in Portland, OR. The center provides high‑quality early childhood care and education to families in downtown Portland, serving infants as young as six weeks through kindergarten. Licensed for up to 140 children each day, the facility offers age‑specific programs that emphasize emotional, social and creative growth, using research‑based curricula and hands‑on learning experiences.

Founded in 1981 by St. James Lutheran Church, the center was created to meet a community need for quality childcare in the city core. Its mission centers on nurturing each child’s uniqueness while fostering emotional, social and creative development. Daily routines are built around The Creative Curriculum® from Teaching Strategies, a widely recognized, research‑based early learning program. The curriculum integrates mathematics, language and literacy, science, the arts, social studies, English‑language acquisition and social‑emotional learning, giving children a well‑rounded foundation. Programs are organized for infants, toddlers and twos, with intentional teaching and caring practices that support critical early developmental stages. The center’s long history and continued focus on hands‑on, stimulating experiences reflect its commitment to helping children become bright, confident learners.

St James Child Development Center is located at 1315 SW Park Ave, just steps from Southwest Jefferson Street and a short walk, about a tenth of a mile, from Southwest Columbia Street. The Portland Art Museum and the Davies Family Research Library are each roughly a tenth of a mile away, placing the center in a vibrant cultural corridor that enriches the daily experience of its young families.

With more than four decades of service, St James Child Development Center stands as a trusted provider of early childhood education in Portland, offering a nurturing environment where children can explore, learn, and grow.