Our Pre-Kindergarten Classroom

Primrose^® introduces and reinforces new information through playful exploration, teacher-guided inquiry and rich discussion as they help foster Active Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Happy Hearts^®. Your child will have fun every day as they play and learn important academic skills, social skills and more, because when they are mentally, physically and emotionally ready to learn a skill, they develop mastery.

Nurturing Active Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Happy Hearts

Health & Safety

Our school is committed to high standards of safety and cleanliness as we create a caring and nurturing environment where children can thrive.

Requiring any children or staff with respiratory illness symptoms or fever to return home and stay home until fever free for at least 24 hours
Frequent disinfecting and sanitizing of high-touch toys
Frequent handwashing by children and staff, which is embedded in our curriculum and daily staff protocols
Training teachers on common signs of illness in children, and placing signage in every classroom to keep signs of illness top of mind
Daily laundering of crib sheets for infants; for older children, individual cots and blankets are provided for each child and laundered weekly
Ensuring appropriate teacher-student classroom ratios
Continuous health & safety training for our staff, including first aid and CPR certification
Maintaining an up-to-date and customized Safe School Plan posted in all classrooms for easy teacher access

Our Pre-Kindergarten Classroom Teachers & Staff

Joined 2018

Mrs. Courtney Atwood

Prekindergarten Co - Lead Teacher

I was born and raised in Allen Tx. I have been married to my husband for 7 years and we have 3 dogs and 2 cats. I have been apart of Primrose for 5 years and have made so many wonderful memories and look forward to many more.

Childcare experience: 8 years

Education Background: Associates of Education & CDA Certification

My Favorite Thing About Working with Children: Seeing the excitement on their face when they learn something new.

In My Personal Time: I like spending time with my friends and family.

I truly believe in the importance of approaching each day with joy. Coming into work with a smile.

Mrs. Lakshmi Ranganathan

Prekindergarten Co - Lead Teacher

I’m Lakshmi Ranganathan.

I hold a Master’s degree in English Literature, along with a Diploma in Computer Applications and Personnel Management. I bring over two years of experience in Early Childhood Education, and as a proud mother of two wonderful children and a supportive husband, I truly understand the importance of care, connection, and building trusted relationships with children.

I approach each day with joy and a big, welcoming smile, creating a positive and nurturing environment where every child feels safe, valued, and encouraged to grow.

Joined 2018

Ms. Astrid Kamper

Prekindergarten Co - Lead Teacher

Hello, my name is Astrid Kamper. I was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I have been a part of the Primrose West Allen family since May 2018. I am a single mom; my daughter Emely is my pride and joy. My mom; Mrs. Martha, has been working at primrose for more than 20 years. I have lived in Dominican republic, Colombia, Germany and Argentina. I love languages, I speak Spanish, and some German. I love to teach children. I am looking forward in getting to know you and your family.

Childcare experience: 5+ years

Education Background: Early Childhood Education

My Favorite Thing About Working with Children: My favorite thing about working with children is that no single day is the same!

In My Personal Time: In my personal time I love spending time with my daughter, watching movies and arts and crafts.

My goal is to always deliver the WOW factor in my classroom for my children to get the best learning opportunity. I am a true believer in pretend play for it not only encourages imagination and creativity, but it also teaches children so many important social, emotional and problem-solving skills.

Joined 2021

Ms. Desiree Lopez

Prekindergarten Co - Lead Teacher

Hello! My name is Ms. Des and I am from the small town of Sweetwater, Tx but have been in the city my whole life. Working with kids has always brought me joy and I have had the pleasure of being here at primrose for 2 years now! I am currently on track to getting my teacher certification so that I can continue to help shape the minds of little ones. Just like our friend Billy the Duck, if you can’t find me in the classroom, I am most likely off singing somewhere. This year I am looking forward to meeting each of you and becoming one big family.

Childcare experience: 4 years

Education Background: Student at Collin college

My Favorite Thing About Working with Children: Seeing their bright smiles and entering the world of their imagination.

In My Personal Time: I enjoy reading and love to sing for my church.

To me, approaching each day with joy is important because no matter what giants you may face in a day, you can control the outcome and how you overcome them. I start each day with a smile on my face and the daily affirmation “Today is a good day” and it reflects in the atmosphere of our classroom and spreads joy all around.

Gallery

🎉 ABCs and Big Ideas in Prekindergarten

During Small Group Literacy, our little letter experts were on a roll! 🎈 They spotted letters, made their matching sounds, and came up with awesome words that start with each one — like "B is for banana!" 🍌 and "T is for tiger!" 🐯 But the best part? They turned into TEACHERS! 🧑‍🏫👩‍🏫 Each friend shared something they want to teach our classroom community. From cool animals to how to dance — these kiddos are full of knowledge and ready to share it! 💡❤️ Learning Superpower Unlocked: Matching letters with their sounds ✅

🗺️ Small Group Literacy

Our curious little learners explored the magic of letters and words during our Class Collaboration School Map activity! 🧠✨ They practiced writing the letters M, A, P and discovered how their sounds come together to form the word "MAP." Then came the fun part — students used white crayons or white colored pencils to write the word "map" on white paper… and with a splash of watercolor, the word magically appeared! 🌈🔍 This hands-on literacy activity helped our students: ✅ Experiment with different writing tools and surfaces ✅ Practice fine motor skills with a three-finger grasp ✅ Form letter-like shapes and some actual letters ✅ Participate in meaningful small group learning ✅ Gain confidence using brushes, crayons, pencils, and more!

Small Group Math

In small group math, students began a two-part activity focused on building a structure. In this first session, they created detailed building plans using shapes and creative problem-solving. Learning Outcomes: Recognize common attributes of shapes Identify shapes in everyday environments Differentiate between 2D and 3D shapes Demonstrate mathematical thinking during play and routines Explore math concepts through hands-on problem solving

Small Group Literacy

Our Pre K students are practicing recognizing, writing and dancing to the Primrose chants for letters Rr and Dd. Our students then chose an image from our mystery box and play the onset and rime game (pat the beginning part of a word, the onset, and then pat again while saying the end part of the word, the rime.) Learning outcomes Connects words to pictures Distinguishes letters from numbers Asks and answers questions for a variety of reasons with increasing complexity (e.g., to relate to visual text and observations Distinguishes pictures from words

👍 Thumbs Up! Ready for some fun?

Our Pre-K friends practiced how to dribble! Ms. Des explained and demonstrated the skill, reminding our students to look where they’re going and to glance down at the ball occasionally to check its position. Learning Outcomes: • Demonstrates perceptual and spatial awareness when moving near objects and people • Positions their body in a space with accuracy • Demonstrates an understanding of slow and fast movements while traveling • Uses a variety of locomotor skills for different purposes