Our Teachers

Staff

K-Prep is unique in that the owners of the company, Ann Kritzer and Claire Flinchbaugh, are also the directors of the center and assistants in classroom activities. Ann and Claire are both graduates of Millersville University with degrees in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and each have over 10 years of child-care experience. All teachers at K-Prep are required to have recorded hours of child-care experience and letters of recommendation before being hired. They also participate in yearly training including first aid and fire safety. Evaluations and reviews of all teachers are done throughout the year to ensure proper care of the children at all times.

Ms. Claire Flinchbaugh

Ms. Claire's first job was teaching gymnastics at the age of twelve. Since then she has earned a bachelors degree in Elementary Education and taught in various preschools in Lancaster county. She loves to be silly and energetic with toddlers and enjoys reading stories to all children. Currently Ms. Claire divides her time between the classroom and the behind the scenes work at K-Prep Learning Center.

In her free time, Ms. Claire enjoys camping and biking with her husband, John, and two children, Paige and Benedict.

Ms. Ann Kritzer

Ms. Ann is the creative genius at K-Prep! Her creativity draws from years of teaching experience in nursery, preschool, and kindergarten classrooms. Ms. Ann holds a bachelors degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education. Her favorite part of the classroom is spending one-on-one time with the children and teaching them new and interesting things.

When she is not teaching, Ms. Ann enjoys doing crafts and going for walks with her husband Chris, two sons Braden and Jackson, and two dogs, Jasper and Chance.

Ms. Jess Bernhardt

Ms. Jess knew at a young age that she wanted to be a teacher and work with children. She began with 2 years of education toward a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She then gathered experience in early childhood by working in child care to finally join the K-Prep team in January 2007. Ms. Jess leads the MAC and teaches in K-Prep's Red group.

Ms. Jess also enjoys spending time with her husband, Erich, and four children, Harley, Brent, Sean, and Aubrey. They do a good job at keeping her pretty busy in her "free" time!

Ms. Jonna Hamaker

Ms. Jonna brings an Associates degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and is a CDA candidate through Penn State. She has 25 years of child-care experience both in the home and in larger centers. When Ms. Jonna joined the K-Prep family in September of 2006, it was obvious she had a talent for infant care, and she works every day helping them reach many milestones in their first year.

During her free time, Ms. Jonna enjoys spending time with her husband, Mark, and three children, Justin, Brooke, and Maddison. She also enjoys reading, collecting biographies and traveling.