Learn-A-Lot Playschool teacher retiring after 20 years

By Rob Vogt Local Press Writer
A new face will be greeting children at Learn-A-Lot Playschool when the new year begins in September.
After exactly 20 years as the playschool teacher, Carol Van Rootselaar has decided to retire.
“It’s good to quit while you still love it,” she said. “It’s time to let someone else take over.
“I have a good strong board, that I know would be able to handle the change.”
Van Rootselaar’s time at the playschool began in 2002.
“I was ready to go and do something,” Van Rootselaar said. “They needed a teacher and it looked like a lot of fun.”
That first year, Van Rootselaar’s youngest child was in the playschool as well, and she received a lot of support from the other parents.
“I was kind of learning on the job,” she said.
The playschool was located in the basement of the old town office building, where it stayed until they moved into the new building in 2021.
There was a renovation in 2008, and the area was re-floored in 2014 after flooding. Painting also went on at various times.
Efforts were always on-going to ensure the facility passed fire inspection, and the old facility always managed to pass.
Yet, the facility itself never bothered the children.
“When the kids talk about it, they have very fond memories of the place,” Van Rootselaar said, adding the big windows kept the basement space from looking dark and dingy.
Then it came time to move into a new facility, which Van Rootselaar noted was a lot of work to move.
“It’s been wonderful to have the new space,” she said.
Looking back, there are a lot of highlights for Van Rootselaar.
“I will remember the kids and doing everything I could to make things fun for them,” she said, adding she was happy to get a lot of students ready for Kindergarten.
She also worked with a lot of great adults.
Initially, Van Rootselaar was the only teacher with help from volunteer parents.
Later a teacher’s assistant was hired then support came from the school.
“It was great working in a team,” Van Rootselaar said. “That was a lot of fun.”
She encourages everyone to register for playschool if they haven’t already by visiting www.learnalotplayschool.ca.
With that, she says goodbye to a job she loved for 20 years.
“I’ve enjoyed teaching all these years,” she said. “Thanks for all the support. I’m sure it will continue to be a wonderful place for kids to play and learn.”