First Presbyterian Church First 5 Years

07/16/2026

📢 Calling all 3-year-olds! 🗣️

We have a few spaces available in our 3-year-old classrooms for next school year, and we'd love for you to join us! Part-time, morning preschool, with options of 3 days a week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) or 5 days, and the option to add our Before School Care or Lunch Bunch programs.

To learn more, you can visit our website at www.first5yearsks.org, or contact our director, Amber Kaplinger, at 785-842-8291 or [email protected].

07/04/2026

While our campers are getting ready to celebrate the 4th today, last week they were busy celebrating…EVERYTHING! Our theme for our last week of camp was Happy Everything!, where campers celebrated anything from traditional holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day), to lesser-known holidays such as National Pink Day, National Bomb Pop Day, Eric Carle’s birthday, and everything in between! It was quite the party!

A special thank you to our sponsor for this week, Little K & Co https://littlekco.com. Little K & Co specializes in boutique baby and child clothing, and you can find them in downtown Lawrence at 9th and Vermont. Whatever you’re celebrating, Little K & Co has something to help you make it a fashionable moment!

06/25/2026

First 5 Years is hiring!

We are looking to hire for two positions starting in August:
- Assistant toddler teacher (2.5-3 year olds): M-F 9:00-12:00
- Assistant Pre-K teacher (4-5 year olds): MWF 9:00-12:00

If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young children, we encourage you to apply for this rewarding position. For more information, please contact our Director, Amber Kaplinger, at 785-842-8291, [email protected], or apply on Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/job/assistant-preschool-teacher-cf3fd13d21fd0cad.

Apply for the Assistant Preschool Teacher job in Lawrence, KS! Learn more about the job description, salary, and job details to see if you qualify on Indeed today.

06/24/2026

We went All Around Kansas last week at First 5 Summer Camp! Campers explored lots of things that make Kansas great, and learned a few cool facts, like:
- Kansas is home to the largest ball of twine in the world! (Cawker City)
- The very first Pizza Hut opened in Wichita in 1958
- The Chalk Pyramids, located in Gove County, were created during the Cretaceous period and are full of marine fossils
- Kansas is the largest producer of winter wheat in the United States, and in the top 10 for corn production

Special thanks to Prairie Park Nature Center and Mr. Matt (Ms. Breanna's husband!) from the National Weather Service in Topeka for bringing a piece of Kansas to First 5 this week!

And an extra special thank you to our sponsor this week, Jayhawk Pharmacy (https://myjayhawkpharmacy.com/). Locally owned, you can find them All Around Lawrence with locations at Clinton Parkway & Kasold, or their new location at LMH West! Everything from rentals to vaccines to free delivery, Jayhawk Pharmacy can assist you with all your pharmaceutical needs!

06/17/2026

We had an exciting day at camp today! This week’s theme is “All Around Kansas”, and we had some special visitors “fly” in to see us!

Special thanks to Mr. Xavier and Mr. Isaac from
Prairie Park Nature Center for bringing so many cool animals and teaching us about ecosystems and how we can take care of all our native Kansas animals!

First Presbyterian Church Lawrence KS

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

We had a WILD time at camp last week with our theme "Where the Wild Things Are"! Campers learned about lots of different animals and their habitats, discovering where all the wild things are on our planet!

A special thanks to our sponsor this week, Edward Jones financial advisor Tanner Hawkinson (https://www.edwardjones.com/us-en/financial-advisor/tanner-hawkinson?msockid=1528f1612f486d612321e7c12e836cf7). If your finances are a little WILD, Tanner can help you find where they are and get them all sorted out. Specializing in everything from college savings to retirement income strategies, Tanner would love to assist you in securing your financial future!

06/10/2026

We had a BLAST starting off our summer at camp last week! Our theme was "Blast off to Summer", where students spent the week learning about planets, stars, rockets, and all things outer space!

This year we are especially thankful to a few local businesses for helping sponsor activities for camp! We'd like to thank Heidi Minnis at Stephen Realty (https://stephensre.com/2021/03/05/heidi-minnis/) and First Presbyterian Church Lawrence KS for supporting our program, and Checkers Foods for providing fresh produce for our snack!

05/09/2026

Art Has No Bounds! This years’ Art Show was nothing short of amazing! Students and teachers put in so much love and effort, and we’re grateful to all the families that came out to support and celebrate these young, artistic, and growing minds!

05/05/2026

One of our Oompa Loompa friends favorite traditions is hosting a lemonade stand for our classes to visit! 🍋

When life gives you lemons make