- Email:
- chdarlan@iu.edu
Charissa Darland is the Educational Resources Specialist at the Early Childhood Center, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University. After graduating from Purdue University, Darland took a position with Early Head Start teaching pregnant teenagers and became the Home-Based Early Head Start teacher for the infants of the young women upon completion of the pregnancy program.
Darland worked for nine years as a Service Coordinator and Supervisor for First Steps and immensely enjoyed working with the Cluster D staff and families. Her Cluster was based in Lafayette, Indiana, and served 11 diverse counties.
Her professional passions include making an office environment feel like a home, helping others to feel confident and competent in their positions, and serving children and families with disabilities.
Darland is inspired by her niece, Caida, who passed away at 14 years old from a severe epileptic disorder. Darland specialized in Child Life during college and became a certified Child Life Specialist. She has two children, Kaiyah and Eli, who are both receiving therapy through First Steps (Kaiyah aspirates on thin liquids and Eli was born with torticollis and plagiocephaly).
Her personal hobbies include gardening when it’s warm, learning about the Japanese culture, and dressing her two children in similar clothes while they’re still young enough to not complain. Darland lives in Lafayette, Indiana with her husband, two children, and two cats.
Degrees
Darland holds a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Services degree from Purdue University.