Who We Are

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Research shows the quality of staff in early childhood settings directly correlates to the quality of outcomes for those programs.

Director/Teacher:

SonShine founder Jane Simoson, aka "Ms. Jane", received her Early Childhood teaching degree, with special education certification from Iowa State University.  She later received her Master's degree in elementary counseling from Drake University.  She has over 28 years of experience teaching and caring for young children, 16 of those years teaching in the Wellington Heights neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Jane has a passion for teaching young children in need;  training in ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and trauma sensitive  classrooms.  She has been an Iowa licensed teacher since 1987.  

Upon the academy's opening, Jane will be the director/lead teacher for one classroom.  As SonShine grows and expands, requirements for future staff will include:

Teaching Staff 

• Lead teachers -  minimum 4 year degree in Early Childhood Education; Unified endorsement preferred; current Iowa teaching license; and experience in teaching children living in adversity 
• Teacher associates -  minimum 2 year AA degree in Early Childhood Education preferred;  experience teaching/working with children living in adversity preferred

All staff

• committed to loving and serving God and others
• knowledge/experience teaching in trauma sensitive early childhood environments
• trained in/knowledge of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences)  For more information on ACES and trauma sensitive environments, see our "Research" and "What We Do" pages.