With 35 years of experience in child care, Hawkeye Preschool educator Leslie Russell knows how to prepare students for elementary school.

“I have worked in a variety of different places, from home daycare, to running summer camps and the family feel and the love here is fantastic,” Russell smiled.

As the teacher of both 3-year-old and 4-year-old classes, Russell says the growth throughout the year in each individual student is outstanding.

“When they're coming in, they do what we call parallel play where they might play next to each other but not necessarily interact and by the end of the school year, they're creating stories together,” she added.

Between Ms. Leslie, Ms. Carmen Dykstra, Ms. Amy Herrema, and Ms. Katie Post, among other helpers in the program, Hawkeye Preschool is an outstanding place for our youngest Hawkeyes.

“This has been my favorite place to work,” she said. “I feel valued here. People know it's important and that what we're doing is huge, it's a great program to be in.”