In A Kids World

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In a Kid's World
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Girl painting a picture.
Kid on a slide.
Kids under a rainbow.
Kids using magnetic building shapes.
Kids splashing in a puddle.

About Us!

In A Kid’s World became incorporated in May of 1995. Tom and Cindy Mahr purchased the former It’s A Child’s World-Rock Island from Tom and Betty Phipps in that year. We opened our doors on August 1, 1995 and the Mahr family has been providing high-quality preschool and child care services to the families in the community ever since.

Serving Rock Island for over 20 years!

Our Founders

Cindy Mahr – Executive Director and CFO
Cindy possesses an undergraduate degree in child development and a master’s degree in early childhood administration. She has gained over thirty years of experience working in the early care and education field as a teacher assistant, preschool teacher, school-age teacher, director and now Executive Director. Additionally, Cindy has taken over leadership positions in the early childhood community. These have included serving on the boards of the Early Childhood Coalition and the Quad Cities AEYC, and serving as board President of Illinois AEYC. Cindy is also an advocate for children, families, and high-quality early childhood experiences.
Tom Mahr – CEO
Tom is a “jack of all trades” handling tasks ranging from logistics to facility management. He is a great educator and gifted entertainer; teaching key competencies, reading stories, and playing games – you name it. No wonder the children love their “Papa Tom.”

Our Teaching Staff

Headshot of Jenna Mahr

Jenna Mahr – Site Operations Director

Jenna’s experience and perspective is truly unique: she attended In A Kid’s World as a child, focused on early childhood classes in high school, got a work permit to become a teacher’s aide at In A Kid’s World, became a teacher of the Two’s classroom, gained administrative experience as the assistant director, and then became the Site Director. Jenna is a mother to her daughter, Whitney, who she loves to visit in Kansas whenever possible. Jenna enjoys crafting, hanging out with her friends, and spending quality time with her family.

Jeremy Mahr head shot

Jeremy Mahr – Assistant Director

Jeremy is following in Tom’s foot-steps by assisting with logistics and facility management. He additionally teams up with Jenna in daily operations, and teaches the school-age students in the morning and afternoon. Believing in life-long learning, Jeremy is attending Black Hawk College with plans to transfer to a 4 years University. He is also actively involved in the community playing for ComedySportz, occasionally acting or directing at other local theaters. Keep an eye out for him in television commercials.

Anna Benz – Pre-K Teacher

Anna is our Lead Pre-K Teacher working with our A.M. and P.M. Pre-K classes. She possesses an Early Childhood teaching certificate and has gained over thirty years of experience working with children. Ann’s loving family includes her daughter Rachelle, her dogs Bentley and Bud-e, and cats Bianca and Bella. Being a mother and an educator, Ann is excited to positively contribute to the lives of our 3 to 5 year-olds.

Toni Greenwalt – Pre-K Teacher

Toni teaches our A.M. Pre-K (upstairs class). She started working in child care more than 20 years ago and became part of the In A Kid’s World’s family for the first time when she was 16. Toni is a proud mother of three grown boys. Next to having gained experience raising Tanner, Kane, and Keaton, she has obtained her Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential to provide the best education for our children.

Headshot of Jennifer Craig

Jennifer Craig – School Age Teacher

Jennifer Craig is one of our teachers for the school age students. She has worked at In A Kid’s World since right out of high school, first coming to us in her high school work-study program at Rock Island High School. While most of Jennifer’s teaching experience is with the school-age, she occasionally substitutes in the preschool and toddler classrooms. Jennifer has her Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. Jennifer is the middle sister out of 7 siblings! Jennifer loves spending time with her big family.

Krystal Rose Head Shot

Krystal Rose – Executive Chef

Shayna Kaha – Part-Time Teacher / Afternoon Floater

Caitlin Stotts Head Shot

Caitlin Stotts – Pre-K Assistant Teacher

 

Lauryn Stegall Head Shot

Lauryn Stegall – Pre-K Teacher

Lauryn Stegall has been a part of our team since 2022, excelling as a Pre-K teacher. Her passion for child care grew from babysitting her niece, leading her to earn her Child Development Associate certification. Beyond the classroom, you can catch Lauryn volunteering at the local animal shelter, training Rocky High School’s softball team, and fostering adoptable dogs. Residing in the Quad Cities, she lives with her significant other and three dogs in their newly purchased home.

Rhonda Rhoades – Toddlers & Twos’ Teacher

Tirzah Wickersham Head Shot

Tirzah Wickersham – Assistant Teacher

Vision

Mission:

Values:

Building the Foundations for Success

Providing high-quality preschool and child care services to meet the needs of working families

Striving to “Make a Difference” in the lives of children and families

Vision
Building the Foundations for Success

Mission:
Providing high-quality preschool and child care services to meet the needs of working families

Values:
Striving to “Make a Difference” in the lives of children and families

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