Gladys Haynes - Project Director

Gladys has a BSW and MSW from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  She has an Ed.S. degree in School Psychology and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology where she concentrated her study on the development of preschool children.  As a social worker she worked in the area of corrections and as an investigator of child abuse and neglect.  She has also worked with local and state child abuse prevention programs.  She most recently worked for the Omaha Public Schools as a school psychologist and as an Administrative Assistant responsible for the Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education programs.  She is a current member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Council for Exceptional Children.  Gladys is responsible for overall management of the Educare program including long range planning, budgeting, collaboration with community organizations and evaluation.

Dorothy Nolan - Site Director

Dorothy has a B.A. from Stillman College in Elementary Education and a M.A. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Reading Instruction.  She also has an Administrative endorsement in Education from UNO.  She recently retired from the Omaha Public Schools where she worked for 30 years as a classroom teacher, curriculum supervisor and assistant principal.  Prior to that she worked as a classroom teacher for 4 years in Alabama and Georgia.  Ms. Nolan is responsible for staff recruitment, hiring and supervision, personnel management, compliance with Board of Directors and regulatory guidelines and community outreach.  She is currently a member of the Kappa Alpha Sorority, International Reading Association, and American Association of University Women.

Cyrenthia Rollins - Family Support Specialist Supervisor

Cyrenthia has a B.S. degree in Elementary Education and a M.S. degree in School Counseling from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  She has previously worked for the Omaha Public Schools as a classroom instructor and school counselor and for the Salvation Army tutoring program.  She holds a provisional license as a mental health practitioner and is a current member of the National School Counselors Association.  Ms. Rollins is responsible for the supervision of family support specialists who recruit families, assisting families in identifying and accessing community resources, and coordination of parent activities.

Elizabeth deGraw Renna - Infant/Toddler Master Teacher

Liz has a B.A. degree from Grinnell College and a M.A. degree from Mills College in Oakland, California in Early Childhood Education.  She is also a certified trainer for the WestEd Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers.  She has 17 years experience as a preschool teacher.  She has previously worked for Early Head Start and the Boys Town National Research Hospital in addition to a private preschool.  She is a current member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Miss Liz is responsible for providing reflective supervision for the teaching staff, modeling and supporting appropriate interactions and activities with the children, providing consultation regarding challenges encountered in the classroom, and ensuring developmentally appropriate and responsive care and education for the children.

Karla Chapman - Preschool Master Teacher

Karla has a B.S. degree from Missouri Western State College in Elementary Education with an emphasis on early childhood education.  She is currently working on her Master’s Degree from Peru St. College in Early Childhood Education.  She brings 14 years of experience as a preschool teacher and director.  She has previously worked for the Westside Early Childhood Center, Iowa Head Start and private preschool programs in Iowa.  She is a current member and former validator for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Miss Karla is responsible for providing reflective supervision for the educational staff by observing and modeling instructional strategies and offering consultation regarding behavior management techniques.

Venessa Johnson - Administrative Manager

Venessa has a B.S. degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Public Administration.  She is skilled in the use of various computer software packages.  She has 12 years experience in office management.  She has previously worked at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence, Sheraton Hotel, First Data Resources and the Omaha Public Schools.  Miss Venessa is responsible for the coordination and implementation of all administrative functions for state licensing regulations, database management; ordering of supplies and inventory, payroll and billings.

Candice is the mother of 4-year-old Ciara who currently attends Educare. She has earned a B.A. Degree in Psychology at UNO and is currently working towards a Masters Degree in Community/Agency Counseling. She is employed at Transitional Living Center as a youth care specialist where she assists adolescent boys in transitioning from a youth correctional facility to a home setting. Candice has been actively involved at Educare as a member of the Parent Advisory Committee and as a volunteer. She has assisted with fund raising, been a classroom volunteer, provided input regarding curriculum decisions, assisted with Public Relations, was a participant in the planning and implementation of a community wide summer reading program and has participated in numerous parent workshops.