Teaching Teams
Strengthening the Home to School ConnectionMill River Center - Room D
With a passion for educating children and learning, LULAC’s highly qualified teachers welcome you to their classrooms!
Chineer Nelson
My name is Chineer Nelson. I was born and raised in the beautiful island of Jamaica. I immigrated to the U.S.A when I was nineteen years old. At a young age, I realized I loved working with children and decided to pursue a career in education. I am currently the Head Teacher for Mill River’s Room D, which is an infant and toddler classroom. I have been teaching for over twenty years and could not see myself doing anything else. I have obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with over 18 Early Childhood credits. I am currently pursuing my Master’s Degree in Education at Post University. I am a strong believer in always doing my best in whatever I set my mind to and to do it with excellence. Pursuing my Master's will help me sharpen my skills so I can bring the highest quality of service to the children and their families. I have been married for twelve years to my husband and we have two beautiful children, ages 11 and 8. When I am not educating young minds, I am busy doing my most favorite pastime, and that is spending time with my family. I also enjoy nature walks, reading a good book, singing, playing games with my kids and watching anime.
Nidia Rivas
Infant & Toddler Teacher in Room D/Mill River Center I have a CDA (Child Development Associates) in Infant & Toddlers and Associates in Liberal Arts & Science. I working on a Bachelor's in Child Studies and will graduate in 2021. I hope to one day get my Master’s in Education. I am Latina. I love spending time with my family. I like to travel and explore new places. I love working with young children. I was born in Guatemala and moved to the USA when I was 16 years old. I received my GED in New Haven, CT. During that time, I worked for McDonald’s. After I registered in Gateway’s ESL program, I took ESL and Liberal Arts & Science classes. I feel that the ESL classes helped me to improve my languages skills. I benefited greatly from the ESL writing class and took English writing and communications classes. While I was taking classes at Gateway, I was working as a cashier in a gas station. I graduated from Gateway in 2015 with a degree in Liberal Arts and Science. I’ve been working at LULAC Head Start since 2016. After working as a Teacher Assistant, I was promoted to a Teacher. These days, I am taking classes at Post University and seeking a degree in Child Studies and pursuing an Early Childhood Teacher Certificate (ECTC). Once I complete my Bachelor's degree, my goal is to pursue a Master's in Education. My goal as a teacher is to provide a safe, healthy, and attractive environment for children. I strive to be the best infant teacher I can be for young children.
Christine James
Hello! My name Christine James. I am the Teacher Assistant in Room D at Mill River Center. I was born and raised in the beautiful Island of Spice, Grenada. I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and came to the United States twenty years ago. I have been in the education field for over ten years and have my CDA credentials in Infant and Toddlers. I have also taken several courses in Early Childhood Education and am in the process of obtaining my Early childhood Associates Degree. I love working with young children. It has always been my dream to educate and nurture young minds. I believe that an amazing teacher makes all the difference and I am so glad I have found my calling.