Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division
Chickahominy's Little Arrows
Little Arrow’s began in 2021 with a vision from our former director, Candace Dickerson, and is now flourishing! Our childcare facility houses preschool children aged 6 weeks through 5 years old. We also offer before and after school care, providing our own transportation to and from NKES and CCES, and all-day-care during the summer, for school age children. Since opening day on 09/20/2021, our number of attendees has grown from 11 students to over 50 students!
In the short time Little Arrows has been open, we have been able to create many partnerships within our local community, from the police department to our sister tribes. We currently partner with the Chickahominy Indian Tribe and their Childcare and Development Program as well as the Virginia Department of Education subsidy program to assist eligible families in paying for the cost of childcare. These programs also help ensure our childcare staff are certified and well trained in all areas to meet state requirements. Little Arrows also works with New Kent County Public Schools to ensure that our pre-k classrooms are supported using Kindergarten Readiness guidelines.
The greatest joy is that we are able to tie in our Tribe’s culture with our student’s day to day learning. Our Cultural Director, Keenan Stewart, comes to the classrooms regularly to teach students traditional native skills and local Tribal history. Our Little Arrows love this time with him as they can learn new things, while also creating traditional pieces such as necklaces and bracelets. We are all excited that our culture is being preserved through our children.
Our teachers use the “learning through fun” approach with our preschoolers, which engages them to learn without them even realizing it! Our students have shown so much progress since opening in 2021, and we cannot wait to see where our Little Arrows will go next.
Shawn Cannada-Stewart
Childcare Director
Shawn is a long-standing member of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe who has worked for CITED since 2021. She worked in the local school system for many years, in the Head Start Program for Charles City County. While in that program, she received her child development associate certification in preschool education. Because of her knowledge, resources, and commitment to the program, Shawn was made the Childcare Director in January 2023. Shawn has worked to make Little Arrows not only a valuable program for tribal citizens and the local community, but an educational, fun, and stimulating program. Shawn has a passion for children and their education which shows through the work she has put in at Little Arrows.
Melanie Stewart
Assistant Childcare Director
Melanie is a Chickahominy Indian Tribe - Eastern Division citizen, who has worked for CITED since 2020 within the Childcare Department in multiple capacities. She is also the CIED Non-Profit Board Chair, our Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Point of Contact, and a part of the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC) as a Board representative for CITED since 2022. She has been our Assistant Childcare Director at Little Arrows Preschool since 2023, and is often found completing childcare admin tasks, working in the classroom with students, organizing events, and supporting staff/programs in any way she can. Melanie also supports the CITED Government part-time, helping where needed. She has an associate’s degree in psychology/social work and is furthering her education, hoping to continue being an asset to the Tribe and its programs. Alongside Shawn, Melanie has worked hard to create a fun and educational environment for the children to look forward to each day.