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
Our Teaching Staff
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 – 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.
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 – Executive Chef
Shayna Kaha – Part-Time Teacher / Afternoon Floater
Caitlin Stotts – Pre-K Assistant Teacher
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 – Assistant Teacher
Tirzah is a teacher in the Toddlers and Twos program. Her day includes multiple free play sessions, teaching ABC’s, counting up books, reading books, math or science activities, and art projects. After outdoor activities, lunch, and nap time, Tirzah assists in the pre-school wherever her teaching expertise is needed. Her favorite part of the job is seeing the kids get excited about learning in a caring and nurturing environment. Tirzah was a gymnast for 13 years and made it to the Junior Olympics, and shares her love of sports with the kids in free play activities.
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