New Director of Community Hills Early Learning Center Has Strong Ties to 91��Ƭ

Michelle Lang — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 16:40:51 +0000

Community Hills Early Learning Center (CHELC) has a new director who is a familiar face to the children and families. Daniel Charles became the Director of CHELC on Sept. 1 but previously served as a teacher at the center since December 2022.

Charles has been an early childhood educator for about 23 years and prior to starting his teaching career, he worked as a buyer for Newark Public Schools, obtaining goods and services for the public school system.

He was successful in his role as a buyer and hadn’t thought about becoming an educator until someone approached him with the idea, telling him he would be a great teacher. When he thought about it further, he decided to pursue that career path. He got a provisional teaching license and went back to school to get a P-3 certificate, which allows a person to teach preschool through third grade. And he never looked back.

Charles originally decided to enter the education arena for the children and families.

“I wanted to make an impact on young lives and be able to mold and pour into and have a hand in something that’s great,” he said.

Before coming to CHELC, Charles served as the director of the preschool program at Passaic Community College in Paterson. When Sister Maurice Okoroji left CHELC in June, Charles decided to apply for the director position because of his past director experience and his familiarity with the center.

91��Ƭ Director of Mission Frances Teabout is pleased to have Charles at CHELC.

“Mr. Charles is a dedicated educator with a wealth of experience as an early childhood teacher and administrator,” she said. “He came to Community Hills as a teacher and assumed the director role when Sister Maurice left to accept a position in Nigeria.”

Charles believes his coming to CHELC was ordained because of his strong connections to 91��Ƭ. He was born in Newark and lived at Hayes Homes directly across the street from where CHELC is today. He was a parishioner at Queen of Angels Church, where 91��Ƭ founder Monsignor William J. Linder served as priest and many of the others who helped start and build 91��Ƭ worshipped. Later in life, Charles lived at 91��Ƭ Manor Family at 72 Hayes St. in Newark.

Throughout the years, Charles has had a positive opinion about 91��Ƭ and its mission.

“91��Ƭ has always proven to be a help to the disadvantaged,” he said. “So I always admired and was always inspired by what 91��Ƭ stands for.”

Now that he’s a part of the organization, he hopes to further uplift its reputation and to serve the children and families in the community.

“I want to put 91��Ƭ on the map as that place of excellence, that place where people say, that’s where we need to go. That place of hope,” Charles said.

Charles has spent his career serving others. He is a disabled Navy veteran who served our country before entering the education field. He said his current role is another form of servitude.

“I’m serving the children, serving the parents, serving the teachers and serving the community,” he said. “And bringing all those things together with a common goal to achieve excellence.”

His favorite part about working in education is seeing children succeed long after he is an everyday part of their lives. This past school year, a former student mentioned him during the speech he gave at his middle school graduation. Hearing about the impact he had on the student was very meaningful to him.

Charles sees himself as an advocate for teachers, in addition to students, parents and the community. With experience as a teacher himself, he understands the importance of sharing information and techniques and encourages that.

His main goal is to work to ensure children, families and staff members are in a positive environment that promotes success.

“I believe in people. I believe in investing in people, pouring into people,” Charles said. “I want them to excel. I want them to achieve. I want everybody to win.”

91��Ƭ Bids Farewell to Early Learning Center Director

Michelle Lang — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 19:41:05 +0000

Sister Maurice Okoroji was a dedicated 91��Ƭ employee for more than a decade, serving as the Director of Harmony House Early Learning Center (HHELC) for 12 years and the Director of Community Hills Early Learning Center (CHELC) for two years. Her tenure with the organization came to an end on June 30 because she was called by her order to return to her home country of Nigeria to become the principal of a high school there.

While Sister Maurice was excited about taking on the challenges of a new role, she had grown close to her colleagues over the years and had mixed emotions about leaving 91��Ƭ.

“We’re family. So leaving them just like that is a little emotional for me,” she said.

Sister Maurice came to the United States from Nigeria in 1995. She returned to Nigeria in 2000 for two years and then permanently relocated to the U.S. She earned her degree from Caldwell College and began working as a teacher at St. Rose of Lima School in Newark in 2004. When that school closed in 2009, she made the transition to Director of HHELC at 91��Ƭ. When the Director of CHELC resigned in 2021, she transferred to that facility.

The superior general of her order reached out to her about taking a principal position at an all-girls boarding school in Imo State, Nigeria earlier this year. Sister Maurice visited the school and agreed to relocate but only after the school year had ended at CHELC so she could attend the graduation ceremony and formally say goodbye to the children and parents.

“I’m bound by moral obligation to do the right thing even though they were like come, come, let’s go. We need you,” she said.

Sister Maurice was inspired to work in the education field by her mother who was an educator and retired as a supervisor of schools. Her favorite part of her work is impacting lives.

“I enjoy being a role model to the young, to my colleagues, the teachers and the staff,” she said.

Sister Maurice encouraged her colleagues to continue their own education and professional development and she told them to look at errors as learning opportunities.

“If you don’t make mistakes, you will not grow,” she said.

91��Ƭ Director of Mission Frances Teabout, who oversees the organization’s early learning centers, recognizes the work Sister Maurice put into her roles at 91��Ƭ.

“Sister Maurice was a dedicated director who was committed to the children and families served by Community Hills Early Learning Center and Harmony House Early Learning Center. She strived to create a supportive environment where all children could thrive,” Teabout said. “Sister Maurice will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.”

Sister Maurice will also miss 91��Ƭ. She is grateful for the opportunities she has had with the organization, particularly because of its founder, the late Monsignor William J. Linder, who recommended her for her first teaching position at St. Rose of Lima.

“I’m really grateful to 91��Ƭ, especially Monsignor Linder,” she said. “He actually believed in me, that I can do wonderful things.”

91��Ƭ colleagues surprised Sister Maurice on her last day at CHELC with a goodbye celebration where they spoke about what she meant to them and how they would miss her. The organization also presented her with a plaque commemorating her years of service.

While she was excited about the challenges to come and the opportunity to be close to her mother again, Sister Maurice was also sad to leave 91��Ƭ.

“For me, this was more than a job,” she said.

Sister Maurice Okoroji – 91��Ƭ

New Director of Community Hills Early Learning Center Has Strong Ties to 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Bids Farewell to Early Learning Center Director