The Giving Tree Preschool - Lawrence, Kansas

HELLO FAMILIES

Welcome to The Giving Tree Preschool! We are so glad you stopped by. The Giving Tree provides a high-quality, fun, faith-based learning environment in which your child will flourish. Located in the heart of downtown, The Giving Tree has been a unique and beautiful part of Lawrence culture for 45+ years.

At the Giving Tree we take an innovative approach to education. Years of professional and educational experiences have led our staff to develop and refine systems and structures that meet each child at their specific developmental level. We look beyond simply grouping and instructing by age. We look at the whole child and begin our process. A fusion of social skills, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive and pre-academic skills are woven thoughtfully into our day, resulting in the optimal preschool experience for your child.

Your child is our first priority. The goal of our professionally trained staff is to understand each child’s learning style, strengths, needs and goals and meet each of these in a developmentally appropriate manner. We aim to help each child reach their fullest potential while preparing for future school readiness. Besides that, The Giving Tree is just about the coolest place in town! Just take a look around, and if you have any questions along the way–please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We embrace children of all race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender or physical handicap.

The Giving Tree Preschool
1000 Kentucky Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 838-3668
[email protected]

Meet Our Teachers

JULIE HAFENSTINEDirector

Ms. Julie has over 20 years of working experience working with children. Most of her years have been within the early childhood field. She earned her degree from Washburn University in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood. Julie joined the Giving Tree staff in 2016. She and her husband Mark have two grown children. When not at the Giving Tree, Julie can be found spending time with her family and her dog. She loves being part of our wonderful preschool.

MIKAYLA SWARTLead Teacher

Mikayla started her career working with children while attending Eastern New Mexico University. She taught at preschools in New Mexico and Kansas before taking a 9 year break to raise her three children, all Giving Tree Alumni. Mikayla joined the Giving Tree staff in 2015. When not at the happiest place on the planet, Ms. Mikayla enjoys spending time with her husband Greg, and their beautiful children. She is looking forward to an exciting year with lots of new friends.

Cathy IsonLead Teacher

Ms. Cathy has spent the last 17 years working in early childhood education. She fell in love with teaching young children while volunteering many hours in her children’s preschool classes. She enjoys watching each child’s social, emotional and academic development during the preschool years. Ms. Cathy enjoys spending time with her husband Michael, grown daughter and son, and her dog and grand dog. Her son is a Giving Tree Alumnus. She is excited to be a part of The Giving Tree staff.

Maddie MarkleyLead Teacher

Ms. Maddie studied Linguistics and Speech Language Hearing at KU before completing her graduate work in education at Fort Hays State University. She joined The Giving Tree team in 2025 after several years teaching elementary school. While she absolutely loves helping little learners develop their academic skills in their elementary years, she is thrilled to be a part of setting a firm foundation right at the beginning of their academic journeys! Ms. Maddie enjoys exploring, playing, building community, and all manners of outdoor shenanigans with her husband, Ben, and their two sons.

Joy MarkerLead Teacher

Joy began volunteering, working with children at her church in North Carolina when her boys were toddlers, and quickly fell in love with her new tiny human friends. So, after more than seventeen years of working with fully grown humans, moving from North Carolina to Lawrence, Kansas, provided an opportunity for a career change, and Joy became Ms. Joy. Ms. Joy started as a lead teacher with three and four-year olds in 2014. During the 2020-2021 school years, Ms. Joy worked at Giving Tree Preschool, supporting teachers with Covid procedures and as a substitute teacher. She is excited to join the Giving Tree Staff transitioning as a Lead Teacher. When not hanging out with her tiny human friends, Ms. Joy enjoys spending time with her husband, Andrew, their two rapidly growing boys, and a not-so-tiny rescue dog named Rosie.