Maple Bear Tempe Staff: Working together for more than a decade!

Maple Bear Tempe Director Maureen Gills had a distinct plan in mind when she began hiring staff for the new learning center over a year ago.

“I wanted to bring over teachers I knew were dedicated to being the best,” says Gills. “I wanted teachers with a good work ethic and who shared a philosophy of early childhood education which just happened to be Maple Bear’s philosophy.”

And she just happened to know a few people.  And oh yes, they all had worked together in some combination since 2005!

At that time, Assistant Director Lori Green and Gills managed a Center for the City of Phoenix, jobs they held until 2012. They hired Amanda Peterson, Belinda Corona, Adela Carbajal, Rosalba Casteneda and Danielle Chatman to work with them. Not coincidentally, are all now on staff at Maple Bear Tempe. Likewise Leticia Yanes was on Gills’ team when she worked at a Head Start program for about 18 months.

“I’m not sure how common it is for staff to have worked together the way we have,” says Gills. “But it has given us a community that usually doesn’t develop for a few years in a new center.”

“Parents are definitely comforted by the longevity that many of us have together,” she adds. “They know that we are a solid team.”

Having these teachers come together to work at Maple Bear has also set the standard for additional staff.

“At the end of the day, it is the teachers who keep our families here.  It is their love for the children and their commitment to excellence that makes Maple Bear Tempe the great place that it has become.”