Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern Division
Chickahominy's Little Arrows
Little Arrow’s began with a vision from our former director, Candace Dickerson, and is now flourishing! Our childcare houses our preschoolers aged 2-5, before and after school students, as well as virtual students. Since opening day on 09/20/2021, our number of attendees has grown from 11 students to 25 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 to assist eligible families in paying for the cost of childcare. This program also helps to ensure our childcare staff are certified and well trained in all areas to meet state requirements. Little Arrows has also partnered with Ross Miller (New Kent) to ensure that our 4-5-year classroom is supported using Kindergarten Readiness guidelines.
The greatest joy is that we are able to tie in culture with our student’s day to day learning. Our Cultural Director, Tanya Stewart, comes to the classrooms weekly to teach students our native skills and history. Our Little Arrows love this time with her 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 get to venture out on field trips like Holly Fork Farm and The Children’s Museum. They had their very own VIP premiere of “Sing 2,” and had a private Petting Zoo come out for them to enjoy. Our students have shown so much progress since September 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. She is happily married with two adult children, Chase and Larsen. She worked in the school system for many years, assisting with the Head Start Program in Charles City. While in that program she continued her education by obtaining her Child Development Associate Certification, which helps to support our childcare program and the learning for the youth. As our Childcare Compliance Coordinator, Shawn has used her knowledge and resources to make Little Arrows not only a valuable program for Citizens, but educational, fun, and stimulating. Shawn has a passion for children which shows in their faces when they come in and see “Ms. Shawn”!
Melanie Stewart
Assistant Childcare Director
Melanie is a CIT-ED Citizen, and is our Virtual Education Instructor. She is also the Chief’s granddaughter. She has primarily been with our virtual youth keeping them on task, assisting with the one on one educational needs, and contributing to their successful school programs. Melanie supports Little Arrows as needed, and is also continuing her education to contribute to the overall success of the program.