Laurel woman is new director at Randolph facility

RANDOLPH – Lexi Gothier is settling down into her new nest as a Cardinal.

The Laurel woman has about two month’s experience under her wing as the new director of the Cardinal Kids Learning Center in Randolph.

“I really like that it’s been very homey,” Gothier said. “Even though I’m an outsider and I’m not even from northeast Nebraska, coming in to it I’ve felt welcomed. It makes it fun.”

As the daughter of a school administrator, Gothier always had an interest in education while growing up in Crete. She earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood inclusive at Wayne State College. She then started her teaching career at Schuyler, working with newborns through age 5 as a special education teacher. She also worked for four years at Norfolk’s Little Panthers Preschool, doing home visits, coaching and special education.

She worked a short stint at Rainbow World Childcare Center, Wayne, before deciding to stay home with her daughter, Maren, who is now 2 years old.

She decided at the last minute to apply for the director position at Cardinal Kids Learning Center and she was contacted the next day.

Fifteen staff members at CKLC have helped with the transition of leadership from Jessica Lueth, who had been the director for nearly four years.

“It’s about what I expected,” Gothier said. “There’s always some things you have to figure out, how the person before you did everything. It’s been a trial by error, trial by fire kind of thing. “

The position is a good fit for Gothier, with a good mix of administrative work and directly caring for children.

“I get to have some of the babies and some of the bigs, and that’s honestly one of the big perks for me. I am not an 8-5 desk person,” she said.