By Ellen Spitaleri
These days it is almost a cliché to describe a partnership as a win-win situation; however, in the case of the pairing of Childswork Learning Center and The Lantern, win-win perfectly describes the coming together of two organizations devoted to bettering the community.
In addition to community building, both nonprofits focus on supporting lifelong learning, so that both children and adults feel safe and supported in a creative and non-threatening environment.
In June, Childswork Learning Center, which serves as a Multnomah County Preschool For All location, will offer a private-pay summer camp at its new Hosford Abernethy campus at The Lantern, located at 1920 SE 28th Ave. Regular preschool classes will begin in September; running 8 am-6 pm for the full year.
The Lantern is an inclusive, intergenerational gathering place that offers grief support, healing and belonging. Currently the site, formerly a mid-century Presbyterian church, is being renovated to house the preschool on one floor and The Lantern on another floor. Workshops and gatherings will commence this coming summer, when construction will be completed. At that time, free programming will be offered virtually and off-site.
Childswork first began in 1984, with a goal of letting young learners take responsibility for their own growth; it became a nonprofit preschool in 1999. Its mission is to promote learning that engages the body, mind and heart working together, with a curriculum based on developmentally appropriate practices and child-initiated environments designed to support confident and creative learners.
The expansion into The Lantern’s space will allow Childswork to “bring high quality preschool to the neighborhood and expand our footprint,” said Mary Beth Kierstead, education director.
Rachel Essig, the executive director of Childswork, added that she is also pleased to be able to offer the unique curriculum to the neighborhood. “We have anaesthetic atmosphere; we allow children to play as a way to learn. It is not a cookie cutter curriculum,” she said.
She noted that curriculum designed for children age two to kindergarten, can be challenging. “We accommodate every child; every child is different, but they all need a lot of support,” Kierstead said. “We don’t have a canned curriculum. We find out what the children are interested in and create sensory areas and develop curriculum around their interests.”
Essig noted that the 10-week summer camp in June will be a good way to introduce Childswork to the neighborhood, as it will offer enriching experiences that encourage creativity and exploration.
“Like our preschool classes, camp will feature outdoor play, while art experiences, cooking and music will be embedded in each day,” Kierstead said
Both Essig and Kierstead are looking forward to the collaboration with The Lantern in the fall when both organizations are up and fully running. Both women noted that they love the vision of The Lantern and feel it is a good match to the mission of Childswork with its focus on community.
Emily Fusaro is the executive director of The Lantern, as well as the founder. In 2024, she realized that there was a need for an organization that supported those who have experienced a significant loss in their lives. The Lantern opened in September 2025, with programs that included song circles and grief-support groups.
When Fusaro’s mother died, she said she felt the grief in her whole body. “Everything suddenly felt impossible and I couldn’t just hide my emotions and get back to normal. I struggled to find a community with the time, space and understanding to help me hold everything I was feeling,” she said.
Then, “somewhere in the midst of it all, I started to wonder why our infrastructure for grief support was so lacking, and why there was no physical space strong enough and safe enough to hold our collective grief,” she said. After that, the idea for The Lantern was born.
“I wanted to create that companion for grief I was looking for in my darkest moments: a place to create and feel human; a place where we could all go to feel seen, connected and supported through the waves of grief and life; a place where no one has to grieve alone,” Fusaro said.
The name of the organization comes from the metaphor for a lantern, as a companion that helps “make the darkness feel less lonely,” she added.
Fusaro noted that she will share leadership of The Lantern with Phoebe Ebright, as director of community engagement, and Valenca Valenzuela, as director of grief programs.
Ebright has spent 20 years working in nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest, while Valenzuela has a clinical background in social work and is also a Death Doula and Celebrant.
Fusaro noted that the organization is currently fundraising to support startup costs, and she is hoping to build relationships with foundations and individuals. She noted that people can go to The Lantern’s website (thelanternpdx.org) to watch a video and donate online.
As for the partnership with Childswork, Fusaro said. “Our goal is to create an inclusive, intergenerational gathering place that becomes an anchor for the community. I am most looking forward to seeing people of all ages coming together to support each other and connect more deeply, whether that is through childcare or community programming, or both.”
For more information on Childswork, visit childswork.org.
Children enjoying playing outside are a familiar sight at all Childswork Learning Center’s playgrounds. Photo by Childswork.
