Ms. Hintz is our Preschool 1 assistant teacher.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing communications and art.  She has over ten years of experience working with children from babysitting, working in other childcare centers, one on one with autistic children and being a nanny in Maryland for a child with severe disabilities.  She loves working with children of all ages and needs because the impression they make on her is bigger than the one she’ll ever make on them.  She enjoys spending time with friends, her family in Wisconsin, playing sports, hiking, art and always enjoying the little things in life that make a big difference.  “Love the life you live, live the life you love.”

Ms. Leckie's is our assistant director and is currently working on finishing her Bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing.  She has spent the past 9 years running several home businesses along with raising her 3 children.  Ms. Leckie's favorite hobby, which is also her business is promoting concerts.  Her hobbies include, reading, designing clothes and sewing, entertaining friends and family with her good cooking and sense of hospitality, decorating, volunteering opportunities, skiing (downhill and cross country) and camping.

Ms. Zenner, is our assistant director and also a float teacher through out the day.  During the day, you will catch Ms. Zenner wearing multiple hats as she can go into any of our classrooms.  She has a degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.  She and her husband, Jeff enjoy traveling and spending time with their always growing extended family.

Ms. Cupryna is our Assistant Infant Teacher. She has her Child Care Specialist Certificate from Rasmussen College. She will be graduating in May 2009 from Northwestern College with a major in Children/Family Ministries and a minor in Psychology.  In her free time she enjoys walking her dog in the park and spending time with her family. Ms. Cupryna is looking forward to spending time with the children at Primrose!

Ms. Branson is the Lead Teacher in the Young Toddler room.  She is currently going to college to become an elementary school teacher.  In her free time she loves to read, knit and take her puppy Montie on walks.  She also enjoys doing home improvements around her home.

Ms. Schwarz is one of our assistant teachers in our young toddlers room.  She has her B.S. degree in family and consumer science (focusing in child development).  She loves to read and likes to try different arts and crafts and enjoys cartoons too.  She is excited about working with the young toddlers and helping them learn and grow.

Ms. Lunderby has a degree in Early Childhood from Rasmussen College. She brings eight years of experience to Primrose. She enjoys working with infants and toddlers. She loves watching them grow from babies learning to say their first words, crawling and walking for the first time, and watching them develop into curious toddlers. She looks forward to working with all the great families.

Ms. Berens is our assistant teacher in the toddler room.  Ms. Berens has 8+ years of working with young children.  She loves to work with children. She currently has her CDA in infant and toddler care.  Ms. Berens is currently living in Ramsey.  In her free time she loves fishing, being in the outdoors and being with friends and family.

Ms. Coleman is our Early Preschool I Lead Teacher.  Ms. Coleman comes to Primrose with ten years of child care experience with all age groups.  Ms. Coleman has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Rasmussen College.  She is currently living in Rockford with her husband and two daughters.  Ms. Coleman enjoys being part of the Primrose team as well as getting to know all of the children and their families.

Ms. Kangas joins us as a float teacher between infants, young toddlers, toddlers and early preschool.  She has her degree in communication (radio, TV and film).  After years of teaching and tutoring in the private sector, she is following an interest in early education.  She has five children, and loves when they can all be home together on holidays.  She enjoys a good workout, reading and sketching and game nights with her children.

Ms. Hodge is our Early Pre-School II lead teacher. She has her degree in Early Childhood Education and numerous years of experience working with children of all ages from student teaching, volunteering, and raising her own children. She looks forward to all the experiences she will share with the children, their families and the staff at Primrose School. Ms. Hodge lives in Rockford with her husband and 3 children.

Ms. Anderson is our assistant teacher in the Early Preschool rooms.  Ms. Anderson graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in child and family studies and a teaching licensure for birth through third grade.  She has had many years of experience guiding the learning of children through her college courses and be a nanny.  She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, working out, reading, and watching movies.  Ms. Anderson looks forward to meeting and working with the families at Primrose and supporting the learning of the children.

Ms. Jurmu is our assistant float teacher between infants, young toddlers, and toddlers.  She has taken 5 years of child development in high school and two years at Hennepin Technical College.  She also studied in Finland for one year.  She has six plus years of childcare experience, has had two nanny jobs, and 3 years' in a center-based setting.  Ms. Jurmu enjoys watching children grow and develop each in their own special and unique way.  In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, nieces, nephews and friends.

Ms. Quimby is our Pre-school I teacher and she graduated from St. Cloud State University in 2006 with her B.S. degree in Elementary Education. She
has experience in a Montessori school, private care, center based, being a district substitute teacher and as a behavior interventionist. She believes in guiding a positive and structured learning environment. One of her favorite teaching quotes is "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." (Author unknown). In her free-time, Ms. Quimby enjoys being a mom, cooking, going on family trips and being at the lake. She has chosen to be a Primrose teacher because she feels it is a healthy and nurturing learning environment for any age of child.

Ms. Cross is our Lead Preschool II teacher.  Ms. Cross graduated from St. Cloud State with a B.S. degree in Child and Family studies with a teaching license from birth to 3rd grade.  Some of her favorite hobbies are playing volleyball, reading, camping and spending time with her daughter and family.

Ms. Vanitha is our assistant teacher in Preschool 2.  She is from the southern part of India and is now living with her family in Maple Grove.  She has her master’s degree in engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology.  She also has another master’s in educational technology from Purdue University.  She has been teaching at Purdue University for the gifted and talented children.  She has more than 5 years of teaching experience.  She assists in developing curriculum and Instructional materials and integrating technology in the classroom.  Her main goal is to use instructional design principles to develop curriculum materials for K-12 schools.  In her free time, she like's to watch movies and spend time with her two kids.

Ms. Korpi is our Private Pre-Kindergarten I teacher.  She received her Bachelor of Education degree with majors in Early Childhood Education and English from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She has taken several graduate level classes from the University of Nebraska and more recently from Saint Cloud State in Child and Family Studies.   She has many years of teaching experience. She taught first grade for 12 years and fourth grade for one year in Saskatchewan. After spending a few years at home with her daughter, she returned to teaching, this time in a child care setting. In this setting, she has worked with all ages from 6 weeks to 12 years.   She lives in Albertville with her husband and eleven year old daughter.

Mr. Dombroski is our Assistant teacher in Pre-Kindergarten 1 classroom.  Mr. Dombroski is a 2009 graduate from Concordia College, St. Paul.  He has a degree in elementary education with a middle level specialty in science.  He is originally from Hartford, Connecticut and then moved to Houston, Texas at the age of 10. He enjoys watching children develop as they mature.  Seeing the vast difference in even six months worth of time he feels is astounding.  His main goal is to eventually settle into a fifth or sixth grade classroom, but is enjoying every teaching experience and moment that comes his way.

Ms. Block is our Private Pre-Kindergarten II teacher and is a 2008 graduate from Concordia St. Paul. She has a degree in Elementary Education and is licensed to teach Pre School thru 6th grade. While at Concordia, she was a nanny, worked at a day care with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and student taught in Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades.   Ms Block is originally from Wisconsin, grew up on a small hobby farm and comes from a family of five.  When she is at home in Wisconsin she loves to sit on the porch swing, read a book, and listen to the crickets chirp.  She also loves to spend time with friends, find and explore new sites, and paint pictures.  She enjoys seeing children grow and learn; watching the light bulbs go off in their minds when they understand something is the best!

Ms. McDermeit is our assistant teacher in Prekindergarten II.  Ms. McDermeit graduated from Hennipen Technical College in 2007 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked with children for 4 years.  She likes to spend time with her family and friends, listening to country music and working with the youth group at her church.  Ms. McDermeit currently lives in Maple Grove.

Ms. Penick is our Private Kindergarten Teacher. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in Unified Early Childhood Studies and holds a Minnesota Teaching License in both Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education. She enjoys working with children as well as seeing them grow and develop and is excited to teach at Primrose. Ms. Penick currently lives in Maple Grove with her husband, Jamie, and their 3 cats. She enjoys spending time with family and friends. Her hobbies include scrapbooking, shopping, photography, reading and movies. She looks forward to meeting and working with the families at Primrose.

Ms. Johnson is our Lead Float Teacher.  She has a degree in Elementary Education with a middle level math specialty from the University of Minnesota, Morris.  She has many years of experience working with children of all ages, through her student teaching, volunteering and being a nanny.  She enjoys going on walks, reading and spending time with friends and family.  Ms. Johnson looks forward to working with all the children, their families and staff at Primrose School.

Mr. Lombel is our Lead teacher in the Explorers Club.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Dayton.  He has five years experience working within a childcare and learning environment.  He loves working with all types of children.  He has worked as a teacher’s assistant, childcare supervisor and lead teacher.  He is originally from the Twin Cities but relocated to Rochester, NY in 1999.  In July 2009 he relocated back to Minnesota and loves being home.  He looks forward to having his own family someday.  His favorite book is “How to Listen So Kids Talk and Talk so Kids Listen.”  He enjoys working out, listening to music, spending time with friends and family. He says, “Life is a precious gift we are given, cherish, enjoy and appreciate it”.

Mr. Brown is our Assistant Explorer’s Teacher, helping our Explorer’s start and end each day.  With 10 years of experience as a nanny, and previous experience with before and after school programs, he has an extensive background in child care to draw from.  Although he is currently pursuing a second degree in Early Childhood Education, he already has a degree in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics from the Art Institutes International Minnesota.  When he’s not working with the Explorer’s, he spends his time with his one and two year old sons.

Ms. Ohland is our cook, she has many years of cooking experience. She especially likes creating new dishes for friends and family. When she is not cooking she enjoys gardening, music and being by a lake. She is married and has two grown children.

Ms. Fandrich is our Summer float teacher and will fill in periodically in classrooms where teachers are on vacation.  Ms Fandrich was the lead preschool teacher last summer prior to taking a position in the Edina School District.  Ms Fandrich achieved her elementary education degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead.  She loves the outdoors in Minnesota, especially in the summer.  At Primrose she looks forward to balancing the fun that summer brings with exciting learning and exploring time!