Hailey Lacina
Teacher Aide
Hailey is a Teacher’s Aide at Guiding Light Early Learning Center. She has a deep love for children and finds great joy in sharing the love of Jesus with each child she cares for. Hailey is passionate about helping children grow not only in their learning and life skills, but most importantly in their faith.
She grew up in Lester Prairie and has a younger sister. Hailey was honored to serve as a Winsted Ambassador during the 2023–2024 year, where she enjoyed connecting with her community and building meaningful relationships.
Hailey is currently attending Southwest Minnesota State University, where she is working toward her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She has a strong passion for supporting children during their early years and helping them build a strong foundation for the future.
In her free time, Hailey enjoys crocheting, knitting, baking, reading, and spending quality time with her friends and family.
Josie Utecht
Teacher Aide/Food Prep
Josie Utecht was born and raised in Dassel, MN. She is the second of four children, with an older sister just 13 months ahead of her and two younger brothers—fun fact, all of their names start with the letter “J.” Josie lives with her mom and dad, their red lab named Lexi, and plenty of chickens.
Josie’s favorite food is chicken alfredo, and she loves a good caramel coffee drink. In her free time, she enjoys deer hunting with her dad, fishing, jet skiing, snowmobiling, baking, cooking, painting, and coloring. Spending time with family is very important to her, whether it’s with cousins, grandparents, or friends.
Since the age of five, Josie has traveled to Florida every year, where she has an aunt, uncle, and two cousins. She especially loves being by the ocean—soaking up the sun, walking the beach, and searching for seashells. One of her favorite places to stay is a resort her family visits regularly. Another favorite tradition is “family camp” in Alexandria, Minnesota, which her family attends every year and always looks forward to.
Over the past several years, Josie has developed a strong love for working with children. She began volunteering in her church nursery, then moved on to helping with kids’ church, where she still serves once a month. She is also currently involved as a youth leader. For the past couple of years, Josie worked as a Special Education Paraprofessional at Dassel-Cokato Middle School and Elementary.
Josie was thrilled to hear about the opening of Guiding Light Early Learning Center. She loves working with children and also enjoys being in the kitchen, and she is excited to have the opportunity to do both. Guiding Light’s faith-based foundation is especially meaningful to her, as her faith plays a very important role in her life. Josie loves teaching children and watching them grow in their faith, and she is so excited to work with and care for each child at Guiding Light.
