About Kids Village™ — “Where Learning, Love and Magic Meet” in Orem, Utah
Kids Village™ is a private preschool, kindergarten, and early grade school serving children from 2½ – 2nd grade
The doors to Kids Village™ in Orem, Utah opened in 2003 to reveal a breathtaking storybook village with bright classrooms and creative workshops. Each beautiful room with its dazzling storefront is thoughtfully designed to stimulate all five senses in a warm, creative, and accepting atmosphere.
Our early preschool, preschool, kindergarten, and early grade school programs teach children from ages 2½ to 2nd grade.
Within the bight and spacious Kids Village™ private school, classrooms are experienced and accomplished teachers that utilize Saxon curriculum combined with our Five-Senses Learning approach. This creates a hands-on environment that allows children to discover individual talents and abilities while developing self-confidence and a genuine passion for learning.
Beginning with an enrollment of only 13 students and two educators, Kids Village™ quickly grew and has maintained full enrollment since 2008 with a waiting list filled primarily by referrals from delighted parents.
In 2015, Kids Village™ expanded their school with a 6,000 square foot addition with 6 new classrooms, a library, and a technology center.
To-date, the single Kids Village™ location in Orem, Utah has served thousands of children ages 2.5 through eight across Utah, Salt Lake, and Wasatch Counties.
Meet Our Founder: Ann Whittaker
Kids Village™ was founded in 2003 by Ann Whittaker, not as a business concept, but as a promise. When her young son, who had a speech delay, was labeled “developmentally delayed” and placed in an environment that offered little individualized support, Ann watched something quietly devastating unfold. One afternoon, her four-year-old looked up and asked, “How come I’ll never be good at anything?”
That question changed everything.
Ann set out to build the school she wished had existed for her children: a place where every child’s gifts are recognized, nurtured, and celebrated, not measured against a narrow standard. The result was Kids Village™, a one-of-a-kind storybook learning environment in Orem, Utah, designed from the ground up to make every child feel capable, curious, and seen.
In 2008, Ann’s vision earned formal recognition from the broader Utah Valley business community when she was awarded the Arthur V. Watkins Business Woman of the Year award by the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce, an acknowledgment not just of her entrepreneurial success, but of the school’s genuine impact on Utah County families.
Today, Kids Village has maintained full enrollment since 2008, with enrollment driven almost entirely by family referrals, a quiet testament to what happens when a school keeps its original promise. Ann Whittaker still leads the school, and has even had the pleasure of having her grand children at Kids Village™.
Meet Our Educational Director:
Kathleen Jensen
Leading Kids Village’s academic programs is Kathleen Jensen, whose more than 30 years of experience in both public and private educational settings makes her one of the most decorated early childhood educators in the state of Utah.
Kathy’s record of recognition speaks for itself. She has been named “Best Early Childhood Educator in Utah” by Best of State eight times, most recently in 2026, a distinction earned not once by chance, but consistently, year after year, across different eras of early childhood education. She has also been honored as “Best K-12 Administrator in Utah” by Best of State three times, including in 2026, reflecting excellence that extends well beyond any single classroom.
Under Kathy’s direction, Kids Village™ has built an academic environment that helps child not only prepare for grade school, but arrive ahead of it. The school’s use of the nationally top-rated Saxon early math and reading curriculum, paired with a five-senses, hands-on learning methodology and 8 rotating workshops, reflects a commitment to whole-child development that Kathy has helped championed throughout her career.
For Utah County families, having an educator of Kathleen Jensen’s caliber leading the Kids Village™ experience is one of the most meaningful assurances a parent can receive.
25 Best of State Medals & 11 Consecutive 1st Place Awards
Kids Village is honored to have been the recipient of dozens of awards since its opening. These awards include:
- Voted 1st Place – Best Preschool in Utah Valley by Utah Valley Magazine for 11 years running, 2016-2026
- Best Private Preschool in Utah by Best of State 2015-2026
- Best Curriculum in Utah by Best of State 2026
- Best Educational Institution in Utah by Best of State 2026
- Best of the Best in Education B.O.S.S. Trophy by Best of State 2026 and 2017
- Best Early Childhood Educator in Utah by Best of State 2026, 2015-2022 (Kathleen Jensen)
- Best K-12 Administrator in Utah by Best of State 2019, 2021 & 2026 (Kathleen Jensen)
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Explore our Curriculum
Explore Kids Village's award-winning curriculum, workshops, and values.
