Lori Hafner

Preschool Director

I am delighted to be the Preschool Director and part of an incredible preschool team here at Ben Franklin Academy. I believe that early learning is a great way to build the foundation of a child’s future by providing opportunities for development and growth. I encourage positive interactions and relationships with the parents and the children by providing all families with attention, acceptance, and affection.

“What did I want to be when I grew up?” The question we ask our little ones at the end of every school year at the age of 5! I can say that I have already known for as long as I can remember that I wanted to be a teacher. I followed my dream and completed a degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood emphasis. My first teaching job took me on an adventure to Nevada, and after getting married, I moved to California and taught for another two years. Wanting to move closer back to home brought us to Colorado. I began an in-home licensed childcare business, so I could be home with my children and still be able to do what I love. After 23 years, I retired from childcare and desired to get back into the school setting. I was excited to step back into the classroom and begin teaching at Ben Franklin and then stepping into the Director’s role in

I was born and raised in North Dakota; I now consider Colorado my home as I have lived here for 28 years. I love it in Colorado as my husband, Adrian, and I have raised all three of our children here. My oldest daughter, Shelby, and son Sheldon are both in the real working world. My youngest, Shantell, is attending the University of Northern Colorado to pursue a teaching degree.

I am looking forward to another great school year to meet new families and welcome our returning families back for another fantastic year!

Faculty Favorites

Melissa Eframo

Lead Preschool Teacher, Happy Camper Pre-K 4’s PM

meframo@bfacademy.org

Melissa is so excited to be a part of the Ben Franklin Academy preschool team!  She lives in Littleton, Colorado with her husband Steve, and their 3 children, Brittain (22), Christian (14), and Rowan (11).  She enjoys watching her kids play sports, traveling with her family for her son’s lacrosse tournaments, walking her dogs, hiking, skiing, and spending time in the beautiful outdoors of Colorado with her family. She studied Elementary Education at the University of Kansas and has been in the education field off and on for over 20 years.  She began her career working as a parent educator for the Parents as Teachers program in Summit County.  She has been a preschool teacher, working in Head Start and Montessori classrooms.  She has also worked in the kindergarten classroom as an instructional aide for several years, including 4 years at BFA. She has such a strong passion for working with young children and is so excited to be involved in helping children succeed in the preschool classroom!

Christie McConnell

Lead Preschool Teacher, Adorable Owls- Preschool 3’s

Christie McConnell is a Kansas native who has been living in Colorado for 15 years. This will be her sixth-year teaching at BFA. She is excited to be a part of your child’s preschool learning experience. Christie has been married for 19 years to Anders, and has two sons, Jack 17 and Sam 15 1/2. Christie has a master’s degree in social work, working primarily in geriatrics, and has over 10 years’ experience. She took a 10-year hiatus, staying at home with her children. During those 10 years she decided to pursue a preschool teaching certificate. She was an assistant at her son’s preschool and fell in love with the teaching experience. Christie’s teaching philosophy is” learning comes through play and confidence comes through encouragement”. When Christie is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching classic movies, taking walks with her dog, Mae, and hiking. She wants her families to know that she has an open-door policy, encouraging any questions that may occur in order to make the parent/teacher relationship a positive one.

Shannon Olson

Lead Preschool Teacher, Busy Bee Pre-Kindergarten Full-day 4’s

Shannon is excited to be teaching preschool for her 13th year at Ben Franklin Academy. Shannon went to the University of Northern Colorado and received a degree in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Elementary Education.  Having taught Pre-K, First Grade, Fifth Grade and Sixth Grade throughout her 20 plus years of teaching Shannon has a great understanding of the fundamentals that kids need.  Shannon has always had a passion for teaching and enjoys watching the growth that happens in a year.  

In her free time Shannon loves spending time with her family.  Shannon and her husband, Chris, a high school teacher and coach, have been married for 26 years.  They have two wonderful kids, Kiernan, a 22-year-old senior at UNC, and Kellen, a 19-year-old Freshman at CU!  

Shannon looks forward to welcoming her new Preschool families and helping to build a foundation for BFA students. 

• Website: Link

Jaimee Seibel

Preschool Aide

Jaimee is an Instructional Assistant for the preschool team. She is originally from Buffalo, New York and moved to Colorado in 2013. She graduated from Buffalo State College with a Degree in Art Education. Jaimee has been married to her husband Nathan for fifteen years and has one daughter, Talia, who attends BFA. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching movies, crafts and taking walks. She has a three-legged cat named Sophia who is a cancer survivor.