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OUR TEACHERS
Our teachers love working at Rainbow as much as our kids love coming here. Rainbow's small size, low student-teacher ratio, and loving environment allow staff members to integrate their own strengths and interests while supporting our established curriculum. Children enjoy the benefit of being assigned to a small group according to age and development, while bonding and interacting with all teachers during daily activities. We are proud that many of our teachers have been with us for years.
 Karen brings enthusiasm, creativity, and over two decades of professional child care experience to her role as Rainbow's director. She has been at the Center since 1988, and has served as director since 1997. She loves helping children to develop and discover their world. In addition to serving as director, she is a teacher for the oldest group, and thrives on capturing the kids' interests while working on skills including science, art, and kindergarten readiness.
There are many special things about Rainbow that keep her here, including the space, the abundance of equipment, the freedom to teach based on the group's interest, and the mixed ages format that allows for younger and older kids to learn from each other. Whether leading her group or working with the all the kids on a holiday program or a rainy-day activity, Karen keeps things running smoothly and helps continually evolve a curriculum that has been refined over the past two decades.
When not at Rainbow, Karen enjoys skiing (fast), hiking (everywhere), fishing (endlessly), and canoeing (lazily), all with her family. She also does mosaic glass work, beading, sewing, and volunteer work through her church. Karen has 2 sons, Ezra and Oliver, who are 15 years apart!!
 Cheney has been with Rainbow since 1987, taking a six year leave of absence to ranch llamas on the Western front. Lucky for us, he returned in 1999, and has been a fixture at Rainbow ever since. As office manager and fill-in teacher, Cheney brings a special mix of organization and pure silliness to our days. Always creative and artistic, Cheney spent time studying art in college, and now enjoys coming up with inventive and surprising activities such as filling the swimming pool in the middle of winter and going for a dip (of course, the pool is in the art room!). Among his favorite things about Rainbow are the many opportunities to learn from the kids, and the freedom that both teachers and students have to explore their world. First to arrive every morning, Cheney opens the school at seven a.m. and holds court over a "breakfast club" with the early birds.
In his spare time, Cheney enjoys working on his small farm and caring for his six horses, two dogs, two goats, three kittens, six ducks, two cockatiels, and a bunny named Trixie. Rainbow's official cowboy, Cheney also loves riding in rodeos!
Working with kids has always been Sarah's passion. She started working at Rainbow in 2004. In addition to serving as assistant director, Sarah is currently the teacher for our youngest group of 2 ½ -3 year-olds. Sarah has been working with kids for almost 2 decades, including time spent as a nanny and working at a toddler center. She has also received her director certification. She finds kids inspiring and energizing, and especially enjoys helping them discover their world and themselves. Her favorite activities involve getting creative and messy - whether baking with the kids, leading trips to the park, or working on art projects - and she frequently incorporates crafts and sensory skills into her lesson plans. At Rainbow, Sarah loves the good communication, sense of community among teachers and families, and most of all, the positive, happy energy throughout the Center.
When she's not working with kids or taking classes towards her certification, Sarah enjoys hiking, biking, creative projects, cooking, and reading.
 Jessica has been working at Rainbow since August 2008. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a double major in political science and history and previously served as a teacher/mentor for incoming high school freshmen. She loves doing art projects with the kids and enjoys being surrounded by their creative energy. Her favorite thing about working with children is getting to hear all the silly and quirky things they say! At Rainbow, she enjoys the happy, playful, and loving atmosphere. When she's not hard at work teaching, Jessica enjoys being outdoors playing sports, hiking, or biking, as well as playing with her dog Kosmo. Other interests include singing loudly (and rather off-key), traveling, reading, and watching movies. Jessica's family has always placed an emphasis on early learning, and her goal as a teacher is to pass on her love of learning to the children she works with. She's always looking for creative ways to teach kids new topics and life skills, and enjoys learning from them in return. According to Jessica, "Working here, it's impossible to have a bad day!"
 Carrie joined the Rainbow team in June, 2011 after receiving her degree in Education from Elmhurst College in Illinois. While working towards her degree, Carrie completed field work with grades ranging from kindergarten to seventh grade and student taught in a third grade classroom. While Carrie has worked with older ages, she has always been drawn to younger children for their spirit and curiosity. Carrie grew up in Prospect Heights, Illinois- a suburb of Chicago- but is assimilating well into Colorado with her love of hiking with her two dogs, Henny and Cypress, running and camping. In her spare time, she also loves to see live music, sing and play instruments, and travel so she can learn about new cultures. Carrie’s favorite activity to do with children is story time! She believes a love of reading is fundamental for young children and loves to discover new and exciting ways to teach reading to children. Carrie’s favorite thing about working with children is being surrounded by their curiosity and positive outlook on life. She loves that they live to explore and have fun!
 Before joining Rainbow in May, 2011, Anne worked with children of all ages for over a decade. Anne began her teaching career in Longmont, teaching 1st, 2nd and 6th grades. More recently, Anne has been working as a substitute for the Boulder Valley School District, predominately at the kindergarten level. Anne has been a Coloradan since 1968 and attended the University of Colorado, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. She currently lives in Louisville with her husband, Alfie, her daughter, Ashley, her son, Austin (both children are currently attending college) and their golden retriever, Lakota. When not busy being both a Mom and a teacher, Anne loves to tend her very large perennial garden- there are flowers everywhere!
Anne was inspired to work with children by her fifth grade teacher who took Anne under her wing when she was having difficulty reading. Anne now loves to read and enjoys sharing her passion with children during storytime. Anne also loves conducting science experiments, creating art and exploring unique interests with children. Anne believes the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing a child’s face light up with curiosity and a joy of learning.
 Natalie has been at Rainbow since May, 2007. Her lesson plans reflect her high energy and thoughtful demeanor. She loves any activity that leads to song and laughter, as well as the excitement in every day spent working with kids. She especially enjoys the community found at Rainbow - the team of teachers and the sense of caring that drives everything we do. She loves biking and exploring - and of course, working with children! Aside from being a teacher, Natalie is an artist and writer, and has written an inspirational book for both children and adults.
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