Laura Hackstaff  |  Preschool Lead

First year at ACA: 2024

Laura was raised in Chicago by her grandparents, who gave her love, faith, and values in abundance.  She has her Master’s in Library Science from the University of Denver, and worked as a librarian for almost two decades, creating programming and recommending library materials to help children develop their early literacy skills.  After her library career, she taught preschool and prekindergarten classes at a Christian school, as well as a home kindergarten group as part of a teaching team.  

She believes, to paraphrase Mem Fox from her book Reading Magic, that the best time to begin talking and reading and singing to a baby is on the baby’s birth day…and every day after that!  It is those nurturing experiences that prepare children to read, write, explore, and thrive in school and in life.  She also believes that a classical Christian education provides children with the foundation upon which to build a joyful and fulfilling life, in spite of the world today, and is thrilled with the opportunity to give this to the children at ACA. 

Laura and her husband, Rus, are blessed with their family, a daughter and two sons, and four grandchildren.  She cherishes time with them, as well as her quiet prayer time, walking her dog, Blue, who did have blue eyes when she was a puppy, cooking for a gluten-free diet, and reading historical fiction and children’s books.

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.  Augustine of Hippo