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325 S Dubuque St
Iowa City, IA 52240 - (319) 499-5551
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Monday - Friday
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM - Ages: 6 weeks - 5 years
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- Overview
- Programs
- Our Team
- Accreditation
About Cadence Academy Preschool in Iowa City, IA
The preschool programs at Cadence Academy Preschool, Iowa City are designed to help young children reach important milestones at every stage of development. We take a skill-based approach to early education that balances intellectual, physical, and emotional development and our curriculum is designed to progressively build valuable skill sets each month!
We are proud to lead the way in preparing children for kindergarten. Through our specialized curriculum and dedicated teachers, we strive to ensure that your child is not just ready for kindergarten, but ready to excel. In 2024, 100% of the Pre-K children assessed in our school demonstrated Readiness or Advanced Readiness for Kindergarten!
Our students graduate from our Pre-Kindergarten program confident and ready for kindergarten!
Ascend Curriculum
Our Ascend Curriculum takes a unique skill-based approach to early education and our teachers introduce new skills within subjects like Mathematics, Literacy, Technology, and Physical Fitness every month.
Skills are taught at a challenging pace and our goal is to recognize where each child is on a particular skill and then take them to the next step without comparing their learning pace to others. We encourage our teachers to modify activities to match the interests and current skill level of each student so that everyone is supported, engaged, and having fun!
NAEYC Accreditation
Cadence Academy Preschool, Iowa City is accredited through The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Our staff is dedicated to going above and beyond accreditation standards to find the practices that best educate and care for young children. We have found that accreditation fosters a culture of reflection and continuous improvement.
School-to-Home Connection
We believe that children thrive when there is a strong partnership between preschool and home. We have an open-door policy with our families and we encourage you to visit at any time. We also offer a variety of communication pieces so that you’re constantly up-to-date with your child’s day and their developmental progress.
Our preschool also hosts a variety of family-friendly events throughout the year. Some of our favorites include our annual Winter Wonderland in January, Family Picnic in August, and the University of Iowa Homecoming Parade!
Programs Offered
Our Team
Jean Grauer
Director
I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with my Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Reading and Language Arts Education K-6. I started working for Cadence Academy Preschool in October 2006. I enjoy reading books, watching movies, and spending time with my family and friends.
Molli DeWolf
Assistant Director
I earned my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Development from Marshalltown Community College and my BA in Criminal Justice and Criminal Psychology from AIU. I just recently moved back to Eastern Iowa from the Des Moines area with my husband and had my first child, Jack in April 2022. In my free time, you can catch me hiking, hanging out with family and friends, and cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones or Chicago Cubs. One thing I love about working with children is seeing them learning something new every day, whether it is big or small!
Accreditations
NAEYC Accreditation
Every child deserves access to high-quality early learning experiences. NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten. The standards and criteria are also the foundation of the NAEYC Accreditation system for early childhood programs. To earn NAEYC Accreditation, schools must go through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program meets each of the ten program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for five years. In the 30 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.
