St John’s Preschool

The construction and staffing of St. John’s Preschool did not happen overnight. It took many years of planning and collaboration with key members of the community and dedicated staff members to get St. John’s to the current state of curriculum specialization and operations. For now, we share the history of the building and the people who made this milestone anniversary possible.

In 1961, St. John’s United Church of Christ Sunday School had outgrown its facilities. The building from church members, the construction of the Educational Building was completed with seven original classrooms (which is the current facility). It is amazing to think that the preschool building was home to so many Sunday school children who are currently active citizens within the community. Not a community to remain complacent, a committee from the church conceived of and acted upon a plan to open a preschool on the church grounds in the early 1980s. Betty Flynn was one of the original founders and served as the first director of St. John’s Preschool from 1995 to 2000. Starting the school when she was 74 years young, Betty believed that education was extremely important and devoted much of her life to the education of young children. Betty had a strong background in child development and serving families. She worked as an Elementary school teacher, Preschool Director, and social worker before moving to California. She had earned a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and was an active member of the Woodland Child Care Commission from 1990-1992. With her encouragement, the preschool opened June 1st, 1995, with the approval to serve twenty-six children. To open the preschool and ensure it was run efficiently Betty went back to school to obtain her Early Child administration classes to meet with the California Regulations.

Kathy Sheesley became the director in 2000-2005. She was very hands-on with the children and implemented many grants and play yard adjustments funded via grants that Sheesley actively sought out during her tenure. time during her leadership. If she was not in the office, Kathy could be found playing with the children, connecting with both staff and families at St. John’s. She was a great mentor; she hired Miss Shiloh! Most importantly, Kathy forever shaped the culture of St. John’s Preschool by setting in motion the curricular changes and establishing the core values the School uses as a foundation.

The addition of the Infant and Toddler room occurred under the direction of Gale Pyle who served as the Director from 2005-2013. Gale also made changes to the overall aesthetics of the Preschool with new flooring, and the painting of the exterior structures.

Shiloh Beard served as Assistant Director to Gale from 2006- 2013 and became the Director in February of 2013. During that time, much has changed. We have developed a variety of many annual fundraisers to help annually with our income and updated and improved outdoor spaces for our children. Specialized training for staff has become mandatory so that families know their children receive the best, most up-to-date education and care possible. As such, we have experienced an increased demand for our services and have had a waiting list for enrollment since 2016. Recently, we established a break room for employees so that they have a place to relax and know that they are deeply appreciated. New double pained windows and increased security have been added to the facility as well.

Faculty and staff at St. John’s Preschool are proud to reflect on our 25-year history in the community. We work diligently to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment for all our students. We endeavor to make families feel welcome, valued, and sure that their children are well cared for. Making sure that we stay true to our core values while embracing change that will provide the best childcare and education for our families is just one of our many goals. Over the years we have had the privilege of serving over 2,000 families. We are so grateful to our families, the church, and our community and look forward to what the next 25 years will bring.