I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community and
as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
George Bernard Shaw
About Pacific Oaks College and Children's School . . .
Pacific Oaks College is a small private college and children’s school founded by seven Quaker families in 1945 and located in Pasadena, California. Motivated by a determination to see an end to war, intolerance and injustice, the founding families forged a mission statement which expressed a clear commitment to principles of social justice, respect for diversity, the valuing of the uniqueness of all persons and the belief that all the members of the Pacific Oaks Community should be encouraged to find their own voices in order to take a principled stand in the face of oppression, and exercise competence in collaboration with others. Pacific Oaks has a long and distinguished tradition of service to the fields of human development, early childhood education, and child and family therapy. Many of its graduates are local and national leaders in their fields. 
In keeping with its commitment to social justice Pacific Oaks has developed innovative programs which give college credit for documented life experiences and makes its unique brand of education available to a wide population of students. Many PO students are non-traditional learners; experienced non-degreed human service professionals, first generation college goers, and English as second language learners. This commitment has allowed Pacific Oaks graduates to facilitate significant positive growth and change for individuals, families and communities across the nation and around the world.
“According to a study by the Institute of Industrial Relations at The University of California, Berkeley, Pacific Oaks is a top choice among Early Childhood Education students in California. The U.C. Berkeley study shows that Pacific Oaks awards 90% of the master’s degrees in early childhood education given by private institutions in California, and 60% of those given by the combination of all California institutions both public and private." Carolyn Denham, Annual Report, 2006.
PO college and children's school faculty developed a nationally celebrated anti-bias anti racist curriculum that is used in thousands of schools nationally and internationally.
Pacific Oaks graduates and faculty have written numerous books that are classics in the field of early childhood education. To name a few:
Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children; Louise Derman Sparks and Anti-Bias Curriculum Task Force
Teaching/Learning Anti Racism: A Developmental Approach; Louise Derman-Sparks, Carol Brunson Phillips
Playing to Get Smart, Elizabeth Jones and Renatta M. Cooper;
Master Players: Learning from Children at Play, Gretchen Reynolds and Elizabeth Jones;
The Art of Awareness: How Observation can Transform Your Teaching, Deb Curtis and Margie Carte
Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers, Janet Gonzales Mena, Dianne Widmeyer Eyer
- A significant number of California Community College ECE instructors are Pacific Oaks graduates.
- Pacific Oaks faculty took a leading role in developing the Professional Development Matrix for ECE professionals in California.
- Through the distance learning department, innovative off-campus cohorts, and ABLE programs Pacific Oaks have made education accessible to non-traditional students, including first-generation college-goers who are facilitating growth and change in their communities.
Pacific Oaks Mission Statement
Pacific Oaks is an independent institution of learning influenced by its Quaker heritage and dedicated to principles of social justice, respect for diversity, and the valuing of the uniqueness of each person. Its primary focus is placed upon all needs of young children and their families, and all those who, in a direct or indirect manner, touch their lives each day.
Education at Pacific Oaks includes academic, research, clinical, and community outreach components to develop an understanding of those settings within which a child acts and which, in turn, affect a child's development. Pacific Oaks promotes educational practices within the institution, profession and public schools that encourage learners to find their own voices, to take stands in the face of opposition, and to exercise competence in collaboration with others.
Approved by the Board of Trustees December 6th 1986, reaffirmed February, 2001