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Kathleen M. LacQuay
Executive Director
Kathy LacQuay is a Certified Educational Assistant through Ridgewater College
and has 14 years experience as a Paraprofessional in Early Childhood Special Education at
Roosevelt
Early
Childhood
Center in
St. Cloud,
Minnesota, and has been the Director of Little Puzzlers since it opened in 2006. Kathy is an Adaptive Communication Specialist and has 8 years experience in constructing communication systems for children who have limited or non-verbal abilities. She has presented to fellow educators on the creation and utilization of Picture Communication Systems for all students with various developmental delays, as well as typically developing peers. Kathy also speaks to college students on various subjects including Challenging Behaviors in Children. She attends many workshops and seminars regarding Early Childhood Education including The Early Childhood Indicators of Progress, Authentic Assessment, and Curriculum Implementation. She is also trained in SUIDS and AHT and is certified in CPR and First Aid. Kathy brings her parenting skills to the company as well. She and her husband, Dennis, have been married for 41 years and are the proud parents of two wonderful, grown children and grandparents of two beautiful grandchildren.
Karla Scapanski /Director
Karla Scapanski has a degree in Early Childhood from Rasmussen. She also has two credentials in infant and family child care. Fourteen years of in- home family childcare was where all four of her children with her husband (for 23 years) were raised. It is located adjacent to their family dairy farm and is why she enjoys the outdoors. Substitute teaching at several schools early childhood through 12th grade and finishing an AmeriCorps position in literacy brought her back to teaching in the field. She also educates adults sharing her experiences as an active trainer for early educators and health care professionals. Supervising for Safety, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death/ Abusive Head Trauma, and American Heart Association Basic Life Support are a few of the classes she instructs through the St. Cloud Technical/ Pine City Colleges and regional training centers. She continued her advocacy for children and this field as the endorsed candidate for the House of Representatives in 2016 and 2018 with a platform of fighting for early learners and those that care for them. Karla joined Sugar Plum as our Director in January 2019.
Stephen Pennertz
Lead Preschool Teacher
Stephen has been in the Early Childhood Education field for 16 years and has been with Sugar Plum Childcare Center for over a year. He received a Bachelor's of Science from Southwest Minnesota State University in Business Management, and is Pediatric CPR and First Aid certified, as well as having received training in SUIDS and AHT. Stephen has two children with his wife, Julie, and loves all sports, but mostly baseball.
Tammy Foss
Lead Toddler Teacher
Tammy has been with Sugar Plum Childcare Center since 2016. She has eight years in the Early Childhood Education field, and recieved her Associate Degree from St. Cloud Technical College. Tammy is certified in Pediatric CPR and First Aid, as well as having received training in AHT and SUIDS. Tammy is the mother of three beautiful children. She has a passion for working with children and loves what she does.
Dennis LacQuay CFO
Dennis is the co-owner and CFO of Little Puzzlers, as well as our licensed kitchen manager, General Contractor,Director of HR, and maintenance. Dennis is an endless souce of entertainment for tehe children at Little Puzzlers! They delight in his visits, often reading to them, and the teachers are often asked where he is if he has been absent from the Center for any lenght of time. He makes it a point to say "hi" to all of the children and is frequently seen on one knee having a conversation with a preschooler or toddler, or walking the hallway with an infant in his arms just to get his "grandpa fix". Dennis is a Commercial Insurance Consultant and owns DKL & Associates. Dennis has been in Insurance for 43 years and was the youngest Insurance Agent hired in the State of Minnesota. He attends continuing education workshops and seminars. Dennis facilitates workshops for our staff, bringing his 43 years of managerial and adult teaching experience to his trainings which include civil rights,professionalism,HIPPA, CACFP, workplace safety, etc. When Dennis isn't working, he loves to fish, hunt, and camp. Dennis is married to Kathy LacQuay and they have two grown children, James and Stephanie, and two grandchildren.
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