Katie Jane Hagen
Lead Educator - Toddler
Katie Jane grew up in Minnesota and loved “playing school” with her dolls and stuffed animals when she was little and began babysitting at 11 years old. Her mom was a preschool teacher and director which always inspired her to work with kids. Katie Jane has extensive experience working with children of all ages over the years in various settings. At age 18 she began teaching figure skating lessons in Minnesota and eventually switched to teaching dance and gymnastics. Katie Jane graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in Dance and Religion with a concentration in Women’s Studies and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a dance career. In LA she performed for various artists including Beyoncé, choreographed and performed for LA Unbound Dance Company and multiple dance festivals, and was an LA Laker Girl. Kids and teaching always remained great passions of hers and throughout her 12 years in LA, she was a nanny and taught dance at studios, high schools, and elementary schools across LA. She especially loves kids ages 5 and under because of their constant exploration, discovery, love of learning, and the fact that they say or ask whatever is on their mind! Additionally, she is interested in juvenile justice and the correlation with early childhood development and experiences and is earning her Master of Criminal Justice degree at the University of Colorado, Denver.
Katie Jane just moved to Denver in July 2021 and is thrilled to be joining the team at Denver Cooperative Preschool!