New Teachers!

Pricilla McConnell

Hello, my name is Priscilla McConnell, and I am very happy to be joining the Delaware Child Development Center Downtown team as a Float/Supporting Teacher. I have 18 years of early childhood experience—eight of those being with DCDC previously. I am currently enrolled at Tulsa Community College and hope to obtain my AAS in Early Childhood Development in May of 2019. I love teaching the minds of young children and have a strong passion for the early childhood field. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 14 years, and we have eight children who are my world. In my spare time I just enjoy being with my family, serving God, and being outdoors. I am really looking forward to getting to know the kids and parents here at DCDC Downtown!

Dannyelle Fugate

My name is Dannyelle Fugate. The children call me Ms. Danny. I am 20 years old and have lived in Bartlesville all of my life. I have worked in a child care facility since the summer of 2017. I have done many years of babysitting and being around young children. I got my CDA at Tri County Technology Center in the Early Care and Education program back in 2017. I have many certificates from trainings. I have my Safe Sleep, CPR and 1st Aid, Early Learning Guidelines, Master Teacher, and many others.

I really enjoy working with children because I love watching each child meet their developmental goals. I enjoy the younger age children because as a teacher, you can teach the children how to do their 1st steps, 1st words, potty training, etc. When I was younger and was thinking about what I wanted to do when I got older, I always wanted to own my own child care. When I went to school and realized that working in the classroom was so much fun, I changed my mind and wanted to teach. In the future, my goals I have set for myself is to continue my education and get my master’s in early education to better myself and the children. As a teacher I love to play and interact with the children but also help the children learn and grow for their future. My favorite activities to interact with the children are art, sensory, water play, and outdoor play. I believe each child may learn and grow differently at their own pace and not be treated ??. We should encourage each child to meet each goal, not bring the child down. I am so excited to see what the future has in store for me!

Cassandra Elvington

Hello, my name is Cassandra Elvington; however, everyone calls me Cassi or C.J. I currently work for DCDC Downtown, but I have been in childcare for many years. My journey into the teaching field began as a babysitter at a young age where I fell in love with working with young children. I decided to get into the field by taking my CDA courses through Tri County Tech in high school. I worked for many child care centers and even a private Montessori school here in Bartlesville; however, I never fully enjoyed how hindered I felt as a childcare teacher. I felt as though the importance of the children’s learning capabilities were not emphasized enough and that many saw us just as babysitters and not teachers. This led me to pursue a career in nannying for many years. I loved how this allowed me to not only have more freedom to help the children learn better, but it also allowed them to learn at their own pace as well as having more time to play and be a child. It also awarded me the opportunity to travel and have many wonderful adventures. Each one left me impacted in different ways. I either learned a lesson or I left an imprint in a child’s life and learning as they left an imprint in my heart.

Due to family needing support and care back here in Oklahoma, I returned to help and got back into the childcare field as well as pursuing a degree in college. I am currently taking classes and am close to finishing my Bachelors in Elementary and Special Education. I chose this area of study as I have a passion for the often labeled “problem” child as I feel they should really be labeled the “misunderstood” child. I believe that every child can and wants to learn; however, they may not always be given the means or opportunities to do this. One of the reasons for this is that some teachers are not as understanding or caring or they may simply have limited resources. I want to be that teacher who listens, loves, and helps a child to achieve all they can be. I want to exhaust every avenue to help them succeed and thrive. I believe no child is unteachable; you just have to find a way to make their goals reachable for them to succeed. This is why I love teaching, as it gives me the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives and learning. I love that DCD embraces this as well, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds not only for the center and me, but also for the young minds I am helping to shape. My favorite quote is “you must be the change you wish to see in the world”, and I believe I have found my place where I can help do this.