Ms. Laura

Preschool Director

Ms. Laura has been Preschool Director at our center since 2009 after nearly five years of leading the Early Childhood Ministry of Life Church. She has worked in the Early Childhood field since 1992 in a variety of positions but finds the current one her favorite.

She loves Jesus, her family, and her job, and her passion is supporting young children and their families in their walk with the Lord as they’re introduced to formal schooling. Knowing that learning happens best in the context of a relationship, Laura is excited to be part of this team of women that love Jesus and love children!

Ms. Francine

Administrative Assistant

Francine has cared for children for 10 years, both in her home and at Life Church. Since 2012 she has worked part-time at Life doing childcare for the special events held on the church campus.

In August of 2014 she became Ms. Laura’s Administrative Assistant, and really enjoys being around the children and teachers on a daily basis. In addition to her affinity for numbers, her spiritual maturity and wisdom are a great asset to the preschool staff.

Ms. Francine loves the Lord, her family, and all children. Her heart’s desire is that children will know how much their heavenly Father loves them and that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made….” Psalms 139:13-16.

Ms. Christina

Lead Teacher

Ms. Christina began at Little Blessings in the Fall of 2010 and has been leading the 3-4 year old classroom for most of that time.

She is a very compassionate and loving teacher who provides a perfect balance of nurture and structure, providing children with a solid foundation and helping them to develop social-emotional awareness in her classroom is very important to her.

Since her time at Little Blessings she has had opportunities to grow as a teacher and expand her knowledge on how to effectively connect with children on their level. One effective resource our center uses is TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention). With TBRI she has had the opportunity to lead Nurture Groups with children outside our center that have experienced trauma and helped them practice TBRI principles in a safe, fun environment while their parents learn effective parenting skills. TBRI has been a game-changer for the way she teaches children and helps them feel safe, knowing they are seen and heard in her classroom.

She is thankful for the time that she has been with Little Blessings. Over the years she has grown into not only a more confident teacher and follower of Jesus CHrist , but a more confident person as well.

Ms. Tara

Director-Qualified Lead Teacher

Ms. Tara has worked with children in a variety of roles for the last 20 years.  These roles include elementary classroom teacher, preschool teacher, Children’s ministry coordinator and English Language Learner aide at an elementary school.  She has worked at Little blessings for 2 years back in 2012/2013 when her children were young.  She is very excited to return to teaching at Little Blessings and she can’t wait to meet her students and their families.

She loves Jesus, her family and working with children.  She is excited to help her students know how much God loves them and that they are fearfully and wonderfully made sons and daughters of God. She is also excited to build relationships with her students and help them grow socially, spiritually and educationally. She is looking forward to taking what she has learned from her past 5 years of working with elementary students and use it to help prepare her students for their educational future.

Ms. Heather

Director-Qualified Lead Teacher

Joined Little Blessings in 2017 as a substitute Support Staff, and became a part-time Lead Teacher for the Yellow Room in 2020-2021 and a daily Lead in the Pink Room for the 2021-2022 school year.

She loves Jesus, her “amazing husband,” Chris, and their six children – five boys and one girl ranging from age 8 to 18. Heather enjoys crocheting, acrylic painting, reading, coffee and building relationships to help others grow in the Lord.

She graduated from Northwest Missouri State University (Go Bearcats!) in 1999 with her Bachelors of Science in Marketing and worked in the advertising field in newspaper and magazines, and as a corporate event planner. Heather has also been involved in childcare through Life Mission Church for since 2015.

She truly enjoys watching the preschool children grow and learn new things-those light bulb moments are some of her favorites… when the moment clicks and the kids grasp something new

She’s  excited to learn and grow with your little ones and knows she will learn just as much from them as they do from her!

Heather’s mother gave her the following verse as a little girl and it continues to guide her…“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Ms. Jessica

Lead Teacher

Hello, my name is Jessica Shepherd, and I am so happy to be a part of the Little Blessings family! I came to know this school as my youngest daughter was introduced to preschool, and I quickly noticed the approach to learning was different than any school in the area, by meeting the preschooler’s emotional needs first. Being able to help children adapt to the classroom while recognizing and responding to a child’s specific need is my favorite part about teaching at Little Blessings.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Nutrition from Kansas State University and have always loved health and fitness, it is one of my favorite hobbies. I have been married to my husband, Austin since 2010, and we have two girls, Ava and Ella, born in  2013 and 2016. Both of our girls participate in competitive cheer at KC Cheer – so that keeps us very busy!

Ms. Lynette

Director-Qualified Lead Teacher

With a degree in Early Childhood Educational and Juvenile Justice from the University of Kansas, Ms. Lynette has been working with children in the Early Childhood Field for over a decade. Before starting at Little Blessings as a Lead Teacher in the fall of 2019, she taught at a local Montessori School for eight years.

She began attending LifeMission Church in 2010 and has served faithfully both in LifeMission Kids and the HERO Squad Special Needs Ministry where she used her education and experience to help children be seen and valued whatever their abilities. Her favorite part of teaching is watching the children grow and develop throughout the year.

Ms. Lynette has lived in Olathe for over 20 years and loves her community, especially since most of her family lives in the KC area. She has an adult stepson and two grandchildren who she enjoys spending time with, as well as her many nieces and nephews, and goin on long walks with her dog.

Her hobbies include fitness, nutrition, flower gardening and refurbishing furniture for her home and garden.

Ms. Grace

Lead Qualified Support Staff

Ms. Grace has been working with the support staff at Little Blessings since 2020. She loves kids and is using this time at the preschool to prepare for a career in speech therapy, where she will work primarily with children and the elderly. She attends Life Mission Church with her family and is a part of their youth ministry. She is currently continuing her education at Johnson County Community College while she works part-time.

She has taken several babysitting courses, helped with Vacation Bible School, and hopes to have children of her own one day. In her free time she enjoys reading, art, playing piano and violin, and exploring outdoors. She is always looking to try good food, find a good book, and spend time with the good Lord.

Ms. Nancy

Lead-Qualified Sub

Ms. Nancy knows that she is a blessed woman of God. She was born in Williamsburg, KS where her parents were farmers and she was raised in a small country church where she accepted Christ and was water-baptized at the age of 12.

She went to college at Emporia State Teacher College where she got married at 19 then finished her nursing education at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS. Her RN experience included school nursing, occupational health, utilization review, home health, and psychiatric & addiction recovery at Shawnee Mission Medical Center for 20 years.

She is the mother of 3 and has been blessed with 10 grandchildren aged 7-20. Her children all graduated from Maranatha Christian Academy, and have been a part of LifeMission Church since 2005. Her ministry has been with the children in teaching and serving little ones. She also serves as a greeter and prayer team member at LMC on the weekends.

She has been with Little Blessings since 2015, first as a volunteer grandma, a sub, then classroom teacher and now support staff.

The joy of her life is being the daughter of the King, as Christ is everything to her. She proclaims, “Following His plan for my life is my goal.”

Ms. Kim

Lead Qualified Support Staff

Ms. Kim joined Little Blessings as a substitute support staff member in 2021. After working with the kids and staff at Little Blessings she realized she wanted to make this a permanent role. Most recently before Little Blessings, Ms. Kim was a stay at home mom for her two girls Audrey and Emma.  Both of her daughters have attended Little Blessings and Ms. Kim loves the focus that is placed on emotions and relationship building. The skills her older daughter learned at Little Blessings significantly helped with her transition to kindergarten. Not only academically, but emotionally as well.

Ms. Kim has always had a strong faith and loves Jesus. She loves her family and loves working with children. She is often told she is a very patient and loving mother. She uses these same skills in the classroom to provide a safe space for the children where they feel comfortable and heard. She has found a nice balance with being gentle while providing the structure children need.

Ms. Kim has a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication with an emphasis in Training and Development. She has always enjoyed working with children and is excited for this opportunity where she can continue to help children grow into their full potential and build their relationship with God.

Ms. Angelica

Lead Qualified Support Staff

Angelica joined our LIttle BLessings family as staff in November of 2021. Since starting her career with us, she has been eager to assist her students, their families, and fellow colleagues by  helping create a positive foundation of learning for our future generation. With God’s guiding hand and a servant’s heart, she exemplifies tenderness and demonstrates great patience with the students she has had the privilege of working with.

Ms. Angelia first studied Business Administration at Robert Morris University in Chicago, IL. SHe enjoyed that season of her educational career, but shifted her focus when she was expecting her first child. It was then that she decided to study Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Special Education at Vanguard University in Southern California.

When she finished at Vanguard, she and her husband Sam moved to Olathe KS where they continued to grow their family and began attending LifeMission church in 2018 where she quickly fell in love with the community and culture.Feeling such a connection to the church, Little Blessings was the perfect fit for her daughter Mia and son Kaison born in 2016 & 2018. What really drew her to Little Blessings was the emphasis on nurturing each child’s emotional and social needs while integrating a faith-based approach and curriculum.

She truly believes that cultivating and loving children is her calling! She is thrilled to be an integral part of your child’s journey with us and can’t wait to hold their hands through this incredible new chapter in their lives!

Ms. Maxine

Lead Qualified Support Staff

Ms. Maxine joined Little Blessings staff in March of 2022 as a substitute and says she is excited to be part of our center because she has always enjoyed helping others learn and grow.

She has more than 10 year’s experience teaching and caring for children of all ages, including one year of preschool experience. Maxine worked at the KS School for the Deaf for six years as a paraprofessional and Dorm Teacher, as well as childcare at a local church. She is fluent in American Sign Language.

Maxine married her husband Justin in 2010 and they have two boys, Henry and William. She loves spending time with her family playing games and outdoors. She also enjoys reading and especially loves to read to her boys. She says, “I’m so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what the future has in store.”

Ms. Alicia

Lead Qualified Support Staff

Ms. Alicia and her family have been attending LifeMission Church since 2004, and all of her siblings, including herself, have attended Little Blessings preschool.

She started on staff at Little Blessings in January 2022, right after her last semester at Spring Hill High School. She then transitioned from being a participant in LMC Youth to a volunteer in that ministry.

She loves to spend time with her family and hang out with her friends in her spare time. Her family enjoys watching movies and eating meals together and playing with their Cavalier King Charles SPaniel named Wonder. Their favorite vacation spot is Tennessee where they go to visit her father’s large family.

She looks forward to working with the children as she’s passionate about seeing children for who and what they are. More than anything, she wants them to learn that they are valued and loved by God.