Montclair Pre-K Appoints New Executive Director

A Montclair resident and former member of the Board of Trustees has been appointed as the Montclair Community Pre-K's new executive director, the school announced Tuesday. 

Stephanie Fitzgerald will step in to fill the post vacated by longtime Executive Director Eve Robinson earlier this year.

The mother of four moved to Montclair with her husband in 2006, and is a former MCPK parent.

“Our first introduction to education in Montclair was the Montclair Community Pre-K, and we have been huge fans ever since. I am excited to utilize my professional experience to serve the children and families of Montclair,” said Fitzgerald, who will assume her new role in December.

Fitzgerald most recently served as a program executive director for New Leaders for New Schools, a nationwide non-profit principal training program. She was previously the founding President and CEO of the Rodel Charitable Foundation of Delaware, and began her career more than 20 years ago as a middle school teacher in Chicago. Her experience also includes starting and leading three different schools, including two with early childhood education programs. 

Fitzgerald holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and masters degrees in education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Delaware. 

Sean Flynn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees said, “We are delighted to welcome Stephanie Fitzgerald as our new Executive Director. Stephanie has a long history with MCPK, both as a parent and as a Trustee and she brings tremendous education leadership experience and energy to our program."

The MCPK was established in 1998 and serves up to 250 three- and four-year-old children a year. The mission of the program is to provide the Montclair community a high quality early childhood education regardless of a family’s ability to pay. 

The MCPK was recently accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).