Our Story
Baby Riot was born from the "big idea" of founder and creator Kiki Nelson as a direct push back against all of the tightly controlled and very beige environments and marketing that was happening around young children and their learning. Drawing on over twenty years of teaching in Portland and the community that was built through that, Baby Riot was created to be a place to bring young children and caregivers together to connect, learn, and inspire each other through the journey of the first five years. Once the idea was said out loud, Baby Riot became much more about the hard work and support of a very vibrant and giving community. Throughout our journey, we have been met with the enthusiastic support and creative talents of many folks that helped give shape to our studio. It is in this collective spirit that we plan to continue our journey together.
Baby Riot is rooted in early childhood development, process art, and the maker movement and draws guidance from the practices and teachings of Reggio- Emilia, Constructivism, and RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers). We value all voices and experiences, regard expressions of identity with deep respect, hold space for all learners at all levels, view the environment as the third teacher, and encourage kindness while understanding that conflicts are essential for growth.
Here at Baby Riot we embrace getting messy, trying again, laughing (and crying) through the process as we build trust and understanding, grounding in our joy, and embracing the power of community.
Sustainability at Baby Riot
Our
Promise
We often joke at Baby Riot that we love to play with trash and there's actually a lot of truth to that! Baby Riot is committed to the idea that "we have more than enough and all that we need!" We strive to re-imagine, re-purpose, and re-use materials in our learning provocations to help control what goes into the garbage and into the earth. A few times a year, we will even have a Trash Bash to encourage folks to bring common household materials like cardboard and take out containers for us to use and play with in our provocations.
In our studio, we value seeing the world through the lenses of play and creativity. That can sometimes mean using food as a learning resource. Because we are committed to sustainability and community, for every dollar we spend on food for play, we will donate a dollar to the Oregon Food Bank to help support families in need living in our Portland community.
Hey, Babies! We Love Portland!
Kiki's experience of Portland began when she first moved here and started teaching downtown for the city in 2006. Learning about Portland from a toddler's eye view (while raising babies of her own) helped to shape her understanding of the city and the unique opportunities that Portland offers for families.
Portland is a great place to be a kid, and Baby Riot celebrates the weird, wonderful and whimsy of this creative city! Our studios will always look to things happening in our community, creative ways to form local partnerships, and connections to foster to help our youngest citizens understand and celebrate their incredible home.