Primrose School of Chanhassen

Welcome to our Infant and Young Toddler classroom! My name is Ms. Kara Spates and I am looking forward to helping the little ones learn and grow. I wanted to work for Primrose because of their structure, their values and the way they introduce lessons.

I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota and I am very family oriented. I have one older sister and younger twin brothers. I have a Bachelors Degree in Biology & Nursing that I received from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. I moved to Apple Valley as my family had all migrated there prior to me moving.

I enjoy reading, quilting, diamond painting, riding my bike, swimming and spending time with friends and family.

I am excited to embark on this academic journey with all of you!

Hi! Im Ms. Anderson,

Im a returning employee of Primrose, I took a short break last year to take a few college classes but now I’m back. I have worked with children for as long as I can remember from babysitting, coaching, managing, religious ed at my church, and now back at Primrose. My passions have always included leadership and education. Combining those two things I have loved this profession I get to work with kiddos to achieve their goals and watch them grow. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to come home to my Primrose family, it brings me much joy to work along side such fun people, wonderful kids, and fantastic families! 

Feel free to stop in and say hi! I love seeing familiar faces and new ones too. 

Thanks for reading! 

Hi, my name is Ms. Murphy and I am excited to be your teacher at Primrose! You will see me in our infant and young toddler rooms!

I am from Norwood Young America and currently still reside there with my family & my boyfriend. I graduated from Dakota County Technical College with a degree in photography in spring 2022.

I got into childcare when I was 14 years old, being a classroom assistant at an after-school care for preschool-5th graders. I have since worked with infants-preschool but have grown to love the infants and young toddler age groups. I love teaching because daily I get to interact with the children & teach them so many things as well as learn from the children!

In my free time, I love to go shopping, explore state parks, play with my dachshund Apollo & take photos everywhere I go!

I can't wait to meet all of you! 

I am very excited to get to know each one of you. I came to Primrose to learn and grow with the teachers and children.

I grew up in Cologne, MN. I love camping, baking, playing games and doing puzzles. I love hanging out with my family, friends and two yellow labs.

I am excited to meet the students and families at Primrose. I have a degree in family studies and child development from Minnesota State University. I am looking forward to using what I have learned and putting it to use in the classroom here.

I grew up in Winsted Minnesota. I have worked with every age of children, but infants are my favorite to work with.

I am very excited to start my journey here at Primrose. I think Primrose has a lot to offer and look forward to being part of the team. My passion is working with children.

I was born in Minneapolis and moved to the suburbs in junior high. I have worked with children from the time I got out of high school. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends and doing genealogy research.

Hi, I am very excited to meet you. I cam to Primrose to continue my education in child development. I love working with children and supporting them as they learn and grow.

I grew up in San Diego CA. I moved to MN 6 years ago. I love spending time with my family and jogging and watching movies.

I am so excited to be back! I can’t wait to get to know all of you!

I am from Anoka, MN. I have a 16-year-old daughter named Haley. I have 2 dogs; one is a Great Pyrenees named Maisey and an American Bully named Homer. I have been engaged for 4 years and getting married sometime soon. I enjoy exercising, reading and spending time with my family.

Feels great to be back! I’m very excited to watch your child explore and learn new things each day!

I am a new mom of an amazing baby boy! I’m also married. I’m currently in the process of completing my CDA and attending Penn Foster to obtain my associates in early childhood education. During my free time, I enjoy time with my family and hanging out outside at the pool.

I am very excited to be apart of Primrose. I enjoy being with children and love seeing them grow.

I am adopted but grew up in Prior Lake, MN. I enjoy playing outside with my dog and spending time with my family.

Hi! I’m Ms. Petersen. I have been working with children for almost 8 years. I love watching them grow and become the best version of themselves! I am excited to teach your little ones!

I grew up in Shakopee/Chaska areas. I love going on walks with my 7yr old son, Xander. We also love having movie nights!

Hello! I’m Ms. Wentz. I’m so excited to join the Primrose family. I’ve been in the childcare field for 19 years! Working with children is a true passion of mine. I look forward to building relationship with the children in my care and their families too.

I grew up in Chaska, MN and currently live in Waconia. I’m a coffee lover, a huge Marvel fanatic, and a book nerd.

I’m looking forward to helping and watching your kiddos grow. Teaching kids is my passion, so I’m excited to do so at Primrose.

I grew up just northwest of London, England. I love spending time with friends and family. I love shopping, eating good food, and binge-watching Netflix.

Hello, my name is Ms. Jameson. I was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. I attended the University of Alaska, Southeast for 2 years then I attended the University of Oregon for 1 year. After that, I moved to Mankato, MN and finished my Elementary Education Degree there.

Mankato is also where I met my husband Matt. We moved to Apple Valley where I finished my student teaching. At the time, I had a friend who worked for Primrose in a Pre-K classroom and told me to apply. Five years later, I still love it at Primrose!

A few years after working at Primrose, Matt and I bought a house in Bloomington, which is much closer then Apple Valley, and we have enjoyed the past year celebrating our first year of marriage although we have been together for over a decade!

I am so happy to be a part of the Primrose family and look forward to getting to know all of you!

I’m very excited to get to work with you all. I’ve had previously worked at a preschool and I can’t wait to see your child grow and learn as I did with my past students.

I grew up in Victoria, MN. IN my free time I like to go out on the water in my rowing shell and row in the beautiful outdoors. During the cold months I like to workout indoors and organize my sport collection.

Hey y'all! I am so glad to be a teacher in the Preschool and Preschool Pathways classes! This is my first year at Primrose, but I have been in early childhood education for a few years now. I attended St. Edward's University in Austin Texas. Before that, I grew up in Omaha Nebraska showing cattle in 4-H. I love singing, baking, exploring, climbing trees, swimming, being creative and hanging with my dog Midnight. So come say "Hi", tell me what's on your mind, feel free to ask me questions because I promise to always be by your side!

Hello! My name is Ms. Ruddies. I love Children and I want to be apart of their growth. I have two daughters, Courtney “Chae” and Kylie. I have two dogs, a Boston Terrier named Auggie and a Rottweiler who is named Rocco! I look forward to building a strong and positive relationship with you.

I grew up in Ohio. I have lived in Minnesota for 21 years. People said come to Minnesota, it would be fun. I stayed because my car wouldn’t start first winter. Seriously though, I love Minnesota. I love nature, puzzles and spending time with my family.

I look forward to getting to know you, and your family. I came to primrose after hearing so much about their program and success stories. I wanted to be a part of the team and make a difference in the loves of children.

I am born and raised in Minnesota. Currently I live in Bloomington. My favorite place to be is Duluth and the North Shore. I go there every chance I get. I have one cat that is my whole world. I love spending time with my family and spending time at the cabin.

Hello Primrose Families

My name is Ms. Rash and I am so excited to be a part of the Pre-Kindergarten team. I have been in Early Childhood for almost 25 years. I spent 15 years as a 3–4-year-old preschool teacher, before moving into administration and center director. But one thing I missed the most was being in the classroom. I love being a daily part of the children’s education journey, having teachable moments and connecting with each child. My degree in Early Childhood Development opened a door to a love for Children’s Literature as well. I’m truly looking forward to getting to know you and your child(ren) and am beyond excited for the year to come!

I was born and raised Minnesotan and my favorite season in Fall. I love being outside, walking by the water, exploring new neighborhoods, listening to music and being with friends and family. I am the middle of 3 children: older brother and a younger sister. I love being an active aunt to my 2 nieces and nephew. I currently love in Richfield with my cat, Willow

I can’t wait to meet everyone! I am excited to become a part of the Primrose community. I love to learn new things and to help others in any way I can!

This is my sixth year in Minnesota. I enjoy a wide variety of creative hobbies and trying anything new. Some of the things that make me most happy are colors, music and laughter!

I am super excited to be a part of the Primrose family! Teaching is a passion of mine and I can’t wait to grow as a teacher. Children teach me just as much as I teach them.

I grew up in Maple Plain, MN. I love spending time with my family and Fiancé. I love going to the cabin Fishing and going to car shows. I always have a craft I am working on.

Hello Primrose families!

My name is Ms. Herman and I am a teacher in the Preschool classroom at the Primrose School of Chanhassen. I grew up in Carver, Minnesota and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Spanish. I am currently pondering pursuing a Masters in Educational Psychology.

I have a passion for learning and am excited to implement what I have learned to contribute to your child's growth at Primrose. In my free time, I love to play volleyball, play music, and to play games with my friends and family.

I am excited to be a part of your children's educational journey. I look forward to developing a relationship with you and your child as well as fostering a fun and engaging learning environment!

HI! My name is Chef Buckman and I am very excited to be the Chef at Primrose School of Chanhassen!

I graduated from Le Cordon Bleu 10 years ago with a Baking and Pastry Degree. I have been passionate about baking and cooking for as long as I can remember. My uncle owns a donut shop in Byron, MN and as a kid my idea of a fun summer break was waking up at 2 am and making donuts! I even almost burned my house down in elementary school after being inspired by the food network and attempting to fry chicken. So I believe cooking has always been in the cards for me, I just needed some training. Since graduation I have been working in scratch bakeries focusing on natural foods being a cook, baker, and a cake decorator.

Other than food my great love in life is animals. I have two dogs, a Papillon and a Pomeranian, and 2 cats. I have fostered over 15 other animals in the last year as well. If I am not in the kitchen or laying in a pile of animals, you can find me messing around in my garden, reading true crime books, or playing dinosaurs with my nephew.

I am looking forward to sharing my passion for great tasting quality foods and to help create an exciting healthy relationship with food for all the kids I have the pleasure of cooking for!

Hello Pimrose faimlies! 

My name is Chef Jim and I am excited to being my journey at Primrose. I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. During the pursuit of practicing my craftmanship compelled me to try my hand at winemaking, breadmaking, and pastry, and as a hawker of artisanal cheeses and charcuterier. I have practiced my craft on both coasts of the United States, in addition to Paris and Switzerland!