Meet Courtney
Hello! I’m a passionate advocate for young children and families, with a professional career built on the belief that respectful, relationship-based care changes lives. Over the past decade, I’ve worked across diverse communities—as a Fulbright Scholar in Norway, a teaching resident with KIPP DC, a Teach For America corps member, an early childhood educator at Google, and a founding teacher at a project-based charter school in Oakland. These experiences, rooted in early childhood education and family engagement, shape my approach to preparing parents for life with a young child.
I hold a Master’s in Education, a Reading Specialist Certificate, an active teaching credential, and a graduate certificate in Infant and Toddler Mental Health. I’ve completed the 60-hour RIE® Foundations course, a yearlong mentorship in RIE-inspired play group facilitation, and I am currently a RIE® Intern. Before launching Beech Street Parenting, I coached and trained Early Head Start Infant-Toddler teachers and home visitors.
Since founding Beech Street Parenting, I’ve had the joy of building hundreds of meaningful connections with Portland families through observation-based play groups, coaching, and community events. I’m thrilled to be developing new offerings like Stumptown Storks. I bring to this work both professional depth and the everyday, humbling perspective of being a parent myself.
Meet Emma
Hello! I’m Emma Koehler, a dedicated parent coach and educator with a passion for helping parents grow strong connections with their children. With over a decade of hands-on experience working closely with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and parents both inside and outside of classrooms, and through meticulous research and study, I’ve gained a deep understanding of child development and respectful, mindful parenting.As a parent of two young children myself, I truly understand the joys and challenges that come with raising children. My journey has led me to embrace the RIE® philosophy, and I am proud to be a trained practitioner in this approach, having completed RIE® Foundations: Theory and Observation. I firmly believe that respectful and mindful parenting lays the foundation for a nurturing and secure parent-child relationship.My dream is to empower parents with knowledge and tools that enable them to navigate the intricate world of their child’s development. Through coaching, workshops, and playgroups, I aim to guide you on a journey of better understanding child development, gaining mindfulness in your responses to your child, and growing confidence in your parenting.Thank you for joining me on this journey towards a more fulfilling and enriching child-parent relationship. I am excited to meet you and find perspectives and solutions that work for your unique family.
We’re here to help…
Build your Confidence
Many people step into parenthood with little hands-on experience with babies—and that’s completely normal. Stumptown Storks helps take the mystery out of the first year by guiding you through early development and what to expect along the way.
Ground your approach
Instead of piecing together advice from books, blogs, and strangers on the internet, Stumptown Storks offers a steady, research-backed foundation rooted in respectful caregiving—so you can parent with clarity, confidence, and calm.
grow your Community
Our cohort model creates space for connection, trust, and shared experience—bringing together local parents who are navigating the same season of life, at the same time, in the same town.