Meet the Willowbound Team
Our Teaching Team
Miss Kim
Willowbound Director
Kim Eagar, Willowbound's Director, is a BYU alumni with degrees in early childhood education and child studies. She has a long and broad resume in early childhood education settings where she has worked for three decades with and for children. She taught as a kindergarten teacher in Jordan School District in Utah, then taught and managed a large not-for-profit child care center at Play and Learn at Community Place in Crownsville, Maryland. While raising a young family, she organized and taught a family preschool cooperative in Allen, Texas.
She has been adjunct faculty for over a decade at BYUI, teaching courses in child development, introduction to early childhood education, and has supervised in the child lab (campus preschool) for eleven semesters. Most recently while serving as visiting faculty in the child labs, she took project learning online during covid-19 to create a high quality experience where young children could learn and connect remotely.
Miss Kelana
Lead Teacher
Miss Kelana
Miss Kelana has a bachelor’s degree in Early Child Development from BYU-Idaho. She has worked with children ages three through twelve in summer camp, and preschool.
Miss Kelana was raised in Chesapeake, VA. She enjoys spending time with her two boys and husband, as well as going on hikes, and admiring the beauty of nature. “When we step out of our comfort zone, we learn more about ourselves.”
She is very enthusiastic about learning in various environments to stimulate the children’s creativity and learning… “I am excited about exploring nature with the students, and getting to grow as a teacher mother and friend.”
Miss Allie
Lead Teacher
Miss Allie is a senior studying Three-Dimensional Fine Art at BYU-Idaho. Allie enjoys sculpting, silversmithing, drawing, and graphic design. “I love to capture expressions and movement in people and wildlife through sculpture.” She is preparing for her BFA show this summer.
Miss Allie was raised here in Salem/Hibbard and calls the Snake River Plain her home. She enjoys spending time with her husband who is also a gifted artist. They went on their first date plein air painting in Teton Valley. Allie loves to kayak, fish, hike, and cross-country ski. She enjoys local agriculture and can identify many domestic and wild animals, and birds.
Allie began working with children at Madison High’s preschool, and child development courses and is training to become an atelierista- an early childhood focused art educator who incorporates North American Reggio Emilia teachings about the 100 languages of children, environment as the 3rd teacher, and how to introduce and explore art materials.
Miss Nickole
Lead Teacher
Miss Nickole is a Senior from Garden Grove, California studying Child Development at BYU-Idaho.
Her hobbies and interests include anything musical. She loves broadway shows, singing, dancing, and playing the piano. One of her favorite things to do outside is hiking, "I love being able to walk through nature and see all the beauty the earth has for us to see".
Miss Nickole's love for teaching young children started in high school, "My first experience working with children was in my senior year in high school when there was a preschool on campus and I loved being able to see the progress that each child made in just a year that I was there". After taking multiple semesters of Child Development classes at BYUI, her interest in teaching young children has only increased, " I love learning about children's behavior and how different things can influence a child."
Miss Rose
Lead Teacher
Miss Rose is a Senior in the Child Development program at BYU-Idaho. She originates from Shelley, Idaho and has a great love for the Snake River valley.
She enjoys spending time outside in her garden, going on walks and hikes, and playing with her dog, and new puppy. She also loves to read and get involved in crafts.
Miss Rose is an advocate for play programs in early childhood education. She has a particular passion and belief in the importance of getting children outdoors and engaging with natural materials. “Children need time outside, allowing them opportunities to have real experiences, manipulate things with their own hands, and discover what they are capable of doing.” She also started down the path of studying child development beginning in high school. Now, she excels in specialized courses including the Power of Play, Children's Literature, and Child Guidance.