Curriculum

Meet our Staff

Enrollment Forms

The Whistle Stop Academy opened in January 1995 with 7 children. It was located next to Quicks Hardware Hanks (now Kempker’s True Value) in Huxley, IA. The center grew at an alarming rate over the course of 5 years. Due to the growth, a newly designed building opened in July of 2000. The Whistle Stop is now licensed for 126 children, ages six weeks up to 10 years and has 10 classrooms. The Ballard Community School District provides transportation to and from The Whistle Stop and we provide transportation to and from North Polk Central Elementary daily.

Mission and philosophy

Laughter, learning and fun! These are all important elements in a child's world. At The Whistle Stop Academy, we believe these are essential ingredients of a quality early childhood education program. So, while children are laughing and having fun, they are also learning by enhancing their physical, social, emotional communication and intellectual skills necessary to be a successful and responsible citizen in the 21st Century. Our approach is simple: To provide children with a nurturing, safe environment filled with warmth and praise, where individual talents are encouraged to flourish and grow. So, while children think of it as fun, we’re really enhancing each child’s natural development. We do it through play, because it is through play that children learn about themselves and the world.

Our Curriculum

Whistle Stop incorporates The Creative Curriculum for Infant, Toddler and Preschool, a research based comprehensive curriculum designed for ages birth– 5 years, into the center. This curriculum also aligns with the Iowa Early Learning Standards. The Creative Curriculum is based on five fundamental principles.

*Positive interactions and relationships with adults provide a critical foundation for successful learning

*Social-emotional competence is a significant factor in school success

*Constructive, purposeful play supports essential learning.

*The physical environment affects the type of quality learning interaction

* Teacher-family partnerships promote development and learning.

Keri Alleman - owner

Keri has owned The Whistle Stop Academy since January of 1995. She has her bachelor of sciences in psychology from Iowa state university.

Amy Vandenburg- area director

Amy has worked at Whistle Stop since June of 2010. She joined our management team in 2018. Amy has her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with endorsements in Early Childhood Education and reading She lives in Elkhart with her two fur babies.

JANELLE FITZWATER- Assistant director

Janelle just recently celebrated her 15th year with Whistle Stop. She has numberous hours of training in all areas of early childhood. She lives in Huxley with her husband and two fur babies.- Peanut and Henry.