Our staff is our most valuable asset.
Who Will Teach My Child?
At Glenview Methodist Preschool, our staff is our most valuable asset.
Young children learn through relationships, and our teachers know young children well. They understand development, recognize that every child grows on a different timeline, and know when a child needs encouragement, comfort, a new challenge, or simply the space and time to figure something out.
All of our teachers are parents, and many had children who attended GMPS themselves.
Your child’s teachers quickly become trusted partners in your family’s preschool years.
Your Child’s First Teacher Matters
For many children, preschool is their first experience building a relationship with a teacher. That makes the role of an early childhood educator especially important.
A child’s first teacher helps shape what a teacher-child relationship can be: an adult outside their family who knows them, keeps them safe, values their ideas, helps them through hard moments, and believes they are capable.
Through that relationship, children begin to learn that school is a safe place where they belong, their ideas matter, they can ask for help, and mistakes are part of learning. Those early experiences build trust, confidence, and a positive sense of themselves as learners.
A teacher who was a stranger at Meet & Greet will soon become someone your child talks about at the dinner table and runs to greet in the morning.
A child’s first teacher has the privilege of helping shape what they believe a teacher — and school itself — can be.
Partners in Your Child's Development
Preschool is a distinct and important stage of development, and our teachers understand how young children learn and grow. They get to know each child as an individual — their strengths, interests, challenges, and emerging skills — and use that knowledge to guide classroom experiences and support development across all areas.
Just as important, teachers work in partnership with parents. Families and teachers share information daily, and two formal parent-teacher conferences each year — in the fall and spring — provide dedicated time to talk about progress, development, goals, and any areas where home and school can work together.
We see parents and teachers as a team, each bringing an important perspective to understanding and supporting the child.
What Qualifications Do GMPS Teachers Have?
GMPS takes staff qualifications seriously.
Most of our teachers hold college degrees in education or related fields, and all of our teachers have completed college coursework in early childhood education.
That academic preparation is paired with years of classroom experience and continued professional learning throughout their careers.
Each teacher is required to complete 20 hours of professional development each year.
Our staff also participates in several professional learning experiences together, including the annual Alliance for Early Childhood Preschool Kindergarten Summit, as well as trainings focused on early childhood development, curriculum, behavior guidance, safety, and classroom practice.
College Preparation
Most of our teachers hold degrees in education or related fields.
Early Childhood Education
All teachers have completed college coursework in early childhood education.
20 Hours Each Year
Each teacher completes 20 hours of professional development annually.
Learning Together
Staff participate in shared professional learning experiences throughout the year.
Strong Teaching Teams
GMPS intentionally staffs classrooms with strong teaching teams so children are known and supported by more than one adult throughout the day. Teachers share responsibility for planning experiences, communicating with families, and understanding each child’s personality, strengths, needs, and progress.
Our teachers also meet monthly in age-level teams to plan curriculum, share ideas, discuss developmental goals, and make sure children across each grade level experience the full GMPS curriculum.
Each classroom has its own personality, but our teachers never work alone.
This collaboration gives teachers the benefit of one another’s experience while still allowing each classroom to feel unique. It also helps ensure that every child’s experience at GMPS is intentional, comprehensive, and connected across the grade level.
Familiar Faces. Lasting Relationships.
One of the things that makes GMPS special is the continuity of our staff.
Teacher turnover is very low, and most members of our team have been part of the GMPS family for years.
100+
Combined Years at GMPS
Together, our current staff brings more than 100 combined years of experience at GMPS.
That continuity matters. Experienced teachers know our school, our philosophy, our routines, and our community. They learn from one another, support newer staff members, and help carry the culture of GMPS from one classroom to the next.
For children, it means familiar faces in the hallways and trusted adults they may know across several years of preschool.
For families, it means relationships that often extend beyond one classroom or one school year.
At GMPS, children do not just become attached to a classroom teacher. They become part of a community of adults who know them and are happy to see them grow.
The Wisdom of Parents. The Knowledge of Educators.
All of our teachers are parents, and many first became part of the GMPS community when their own children attended preschool here.
They have stood on the parent side of car line. They know what it feels like to entrust a young child to someone else. They have watched their own children navigate separation, make friends, become more independent, and grow through the preschool years.
Parenting experience does not replace professional education and training. But combined with early childhood knowledge and classroom experience, it adds another valuable perspective.
Our teachers understand that children the same age may develop very differently, that a difficult morning does not define a child, and that development rarely happens in a perfectly straight line.
They also understand that parents know their child in ways teachers do not — and teachers see children in a group setting in ways parents may not.
The strongest support happens when those perspectives come together.
Questions Families Often Ask
People Make the Preschool
Buildings matter. Playgrounds matter. Curriculum and materials matter.
But ultimately, people make the preschool experience.
At GMPS, children are surrounded by teachers who know early childhood, know our school, know one another — and most importantly, take the time to know each child.
Your child deserves teachers who know them — not simply teachers who teach them.
For many children, the teacher who begins as a new face becomes one of the people who helps shape their earliest understanding of school.
Our teachers do more than prepare children for what comes next. They help children discover what it feels like to belong at school.
About the Author
Written by Karen Coan, M.A. in Education, Director of Glenview Methodist Preschool
Karen has served as Director of GMPS since 2016 and works closely with teachers and families on curriculum, school transitions, behavior guidance, safety, staff development, and program planning.
Last updated: October 2026