Celebrating a Legacy of Care and Learning at ϰٿ Preschool
With a combined legacy spanning more than 70 years, Karen Veerhusen-Langerud and Connie Molison leave behind a preschool defined by curiosity, compassion, and deep community connection.
For decades, the ϰٿ Preschool has been a place where curiosity is nurtured, community is built, and young learners take their first steps into a lifelong journey of discovery. This year, the College pauses to honor two individuals who have shaped that experience for generations of children and families Karen Veerhusen-Langerud and Connie Molison as they enter retirement.
Since opening in 1963, the ϰٿ Preschool has served as both a vibrant early childhood program for local families and a dynamic teaching and research lab for ϰٿ students and faculty. Rooted in a mission to support each child optimal learning in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment, the preschool has long been a model of play-based education where children build knowledge through exploration, develop problem-solving skills, and learn the value of community and respect for others. Today, the preschool enrolls approximately 45 children ages 3 to 5 each year, continuing its role as a meaningful bridge between campus and community.
At the heart of this work has been Karen Veerhusen-Langerud, who has served as the preschool lead teacher and director since 1997. With more than 47 years in early childhood education, Veerhusen-Langerud, has dedicated her career to creating environments where children feel seen, supported, and inspired to learn. A graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor degree in early childhood education and the University of Northern Iowa with a Master of Education in Special Education, Veerhusen-Langerud leadership has shaped not only the preschool curriculum but also the lives of countless children, families, and aspiring educators.
We value that this will remain a play-based preschool, because that how children feel safe, valued, and truly ready to learn, said Veerhusen-Langerud. Through play, wee able to create a space where every child can show up as themselves. That sense of trust and belonging is at the heart of everything we do.
Alongside her, Connie Molison has been a steady and caring presence since joining the preschool in 1995. A ϰٿ native, Connie has served as a teacher assistant across all sessions, bringing warmth, consistency, and deep community connection to the classroom. Her earlier work with the ϰٿ Community Day Care further reflects a lifelong commitment to supporting children and families in ϰٿ. Together, Karen and Connie have created a space where children feel a sense of belonging and where learning is joyful, meaningful, and rooted in care.
One of the greatest gifts of this work has been seeing the world through the children eyes no two days are ever the same, and there always a sense of awe and wonder, Molison said. The relationships we build dont end when they leave our classroom wee invited to graduations and get to see who they become. That what makes this so special.
Ann Ellis, Professor of Psychology and the Faculty Director of the Preschool Lab, has been working alongside and with support from Karen and Connie throughout their careers. In her developmental psychology course, Ellis students routinely conduct independent and self-designed research studies. She noted that for many of these students, this opportunity has launched careers in research and clinical psychology, public health, social work, and other related fields. In addition to research, Ellis added that many students at the College work as teaching assistants for the preschool, where they get to connect directly with children and families within the community.
The experiences students get are transformative, and Karen and Connie have been instrumental in supporting each and every one of those students, shared Ellis.
Their impact extends far beyond the classroom. Through their work, they have helped strengthen the bond between the College and the broader ϰٿ community, ensuring that the preschool remains a place of connection, collaboration, and shared purpose. Generations of families and the many ϰٿ students who have learned alongside them carry forward the lessons, care, and community they helped cultivate.
Join us in celebrating Karen and Connie
The ϰٿ community warmly invites you to an open-house retirement celebration hosted by the Psychology Department:
Tuesday, May 12
46 p.m.
ϰٿ Preschool
1022 Park Street, ϰٿ
Stop by to share your gratitude, reconnect, and help celebrate two remarkable careers that have made a lasting difference in the lives of so many.