Meet Our Staff –
Jordan Ames – Full-Day Threes Teacher
Tara Knebel – Half-Day Threes Teacher
Karen LaFrance – Half-Day Almost Kindergarten Teacher
Makinzie Essenhoffer – Full-Day Assistant Teacher
Kayla Spoto – Almost Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Tammy Knebel – Staff Cook
Cheryl Loyet – Half-Day Threes Assistant Teacher
Jessie Foster – Half-Day Fours Assistant Teacher
Elaine Fenton – Director, Peppermint Preschool
Taylor Lombard – Full-Day Fours Teacher
Ashlyn Weber – Full-Day Fours Teacher
Darla Blackford – Half-Day Fours Teacher
Our Promise
To enhance children's cognitive, physical and moral development through early education and play to encourage their creativity and self-expression for language and social/ emotional development. To nurture self-confidence and social skills through positive reinforcement and support from our experienced staff.
Our Mission
For more than 50 years, Peppermint Preschool has been recognized as the Highland Community’s cornerstone Preschool Program. We are located in the south wing of the EvUCC facility, and we provide a nurturing, educational environment for 3-5 year old’s through our Preschool programs. Our talented teachers focus on school readiness, social, emotional and intellectual development and what every child needs – love and care! Our entire facility is licensed by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS). Hot, healthy lunches from our kitchen are provided for the children who attend our all-day program. We offer a secured facility, accessible by personal security codes, as well as an indoor/outdoor recording camera system to keep our children and families safe. All staff are CPR and First Aid trained as well as professionally background checked. All staff regularly attend professional development training to stay updated on the latest and greatest information concerning children, families, health, and educational needs.
Out daughter has had experience both in the Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3's class and the Almost Kindergarten class, and our son is currently enrolled in the MWF 3's class. Both absolutely LOVE Peppermint Preschool! All of the staff are amazing and truly make sending your little ones to school for the first time much easier! We know our kids are being nurtured, loved, and given a wonderful education while also having fun! As parents who have never had to utilize daycare/babysitters, we have never once felt anxious leaving our kids with any of the teachers here. The atmosphere is one of a kind and you can 100% feel the love once you enter the building. We always tell friends and family how much we love it here at Peppermint and are beyond thankful for such a safe, loving environment for our children.
Peppermint Preschool has been the perfect place for our little ones to learn and grow. The staff and teachers are very well qualified, attentive, helpful, and always available to answer questions about the program, our child’s development and learning experience, or to address any concerns we have about our kids. They make learning and safety their top priorities and always strive to communicate events and information to parents throughout the year. The school has recent improvements to their playground and property along with safety protocols in place to ensure all kids are able to grow and learn in a safe and healthy environment. Parents can rest easy knowing their little ones will be safe and well taken care of while at school. The teachers and staff have been absolutely great with our kids! Our five year old son attended Peppermint for two years prior to Kindergarten at Highland Primary. Mrs. Elaine, Mrs. Tara, and Mrs. Karen along with their in-classroom assistants and staff really made sure our son was set up for success in Kindergarten. Our three year old daughter is currently attending Peppermint Preschool. She is doing really well, following in her brother’s footsteps, and always learning something new. The staff have been especially helpful during difficult drop-off days when saying goodbye to mommy or daddy is hard. Their efforts and styles of teaching have allowed our kids to learn, grow, and really see school as something enjoyable and fun while still challenging them in appropriate ways to prepare them for the structured (all-day) environment of “big kid” school. We absolutely will be sending our two year old daughter when she is old enough and with one more on the way it is nice to know the amazing teachers and staff at Peppermint Preschool will be there for us and our kids when it is time them to go to school as well.
We have had two kids attend Peppermint Preschool in the 3's room and Almost Kindergarten room and both have loved their experience. The 3's teachers are so wonderful and fun, and we knew our son was loved and cared for there. The Almost Kindergarten (AK) classroom is more structured and was perfect to prepare our daughter for Kindergarten. By the end of the year she was beginning to read and has a good understanding of math. We are very happy with our decision to send our kids here and would recommend it to anyone. All of the teachers, the director, the student teachers and helpers have all been so kind and welcoming to our family. We will miss being a part of Peppermint next year!
We have had an amazing experience at Peppermint Preschool with both of our children! After our son’s wonderful experience there, we couldn’t wait for our daughter to attend. Ms. Tara’s 3’s class has been the perfect start to her academic journey! She absolutely loves going to school each day to spend time with her friends. The engaging activities in class - like creative arts, hands-on learning, games, songs, and other activities - make every day special and enriching. The early care option is a great flexible option for our family too. We are so grateful for the warm and nurturing environment at Peppermint Preschool and highly recommend it to anyone!
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