Dawn Treader Christian School Nears 50 Years of Faith, Education, and Community in Paterson

For 49 years, generations of children have passed through the doors of Dawn Treader Christian School. Today, the K-8 school identifies itself as something increasingly rare in the city it has long called home: Paterson’s sole remaining independent Christian school.

For Dawn Treader, educating youth for 49 years represents more than just a commitment to longevity; It is a testament to this  small, faith-based school’s commitment to  providing accessible Christian education to the families of Paterson regardless of income. A commitment that has proven worthwhile, as enrollment has grown from 26 students when Executive Director Pastor Charles Salinas arrived in 2009 to 125 for the 2026-27 school year. 

As the school looks toward its next chapter, leaders have begun  expanding academic and after-school programs, subsidizing tuition, renovating the school with the help of volunteers and building partnerships that reach beyond its classrooms. Together, those efforts reflect a mission that has existed since 1977: pairing Christian education with service to children, their families, and the broader community.

Nearly 50 Years in Paterson

Founded in 1977 as a project of the Evangelical Committee for Urban Ministries in Paterson (ECUMP), Dawn Treader began under the leadership of Herbert Van Denend, a local businessman and owner of Glenro Inc, industrial equipment manufacturer.

According to the school’s history, ECUMP purchased an abandoned 19th-century mill for $55,000 in July 1977 with a vision of providing Christian education in an urban setting. Dawn Treader opened that year with 70 students, according to the school’s 49th-anniversary timeline. 

Enrollment declined in the decades that followed. Salinas said he does not know all the circumstances behind the decline but cited financial challenges, changes in administration and the loss of support from major supporters as contributing factors. By the time he arrived in 2009, enrollment had fallen to 26 students and the school was facing serious financial and operational challenges that had put it on the verge of closing.

ECUMP’s work in Paterson began years before Dawn Treader was established. Salinas said the organization had been doing ministry work in the city for years and helping Paterson families secure funding for their children to attend Eastern Christian School, an independent Christian school that now operates campuses in Midland Park, Wyckoff and North Haledon. The group eventually established Dawn Treader so children could receive a Christian education while remaining in their own community.

That connection continues today. About 70% of the school’s 125 students live in Paterson, while the remaining 30% come from surrounding communities including Prospect Park, Clifton, Haledon, Woodland Park, and Newark, according to Salinas.

Dean of Students Taneka Darby, who attended Dawn Treader from fifth through eighth grade before returning as a teacher and later joining the administration, said the school’s continued presence in Paterson has personal meaning for her. The school is non-denominational and maintains an open enrollment policy. Its Christian mission, however, remains explicit: Dawn Treader says it seeks to combine academics with biblical teaching and spiritual development while welcoming students from different racial, religious, social and economic backgrounds.

“It’s important that we remain a beacon of light here in Paterson, and that our doors stay open,” Darby said, adding that the school wants families to find “not just a school, but also a family environment.”

Making Christian Education Accessible

Keeping Christian education in Paterson also raises another question for school leaders: whether families can afford it.

Dawn Treader charges $5,200 in annual tuition for a family’s first enrolled child, but Salinas estimates the actual annual cost of educating each student is about $18,000.

The school relies on donations and scholarship funding to help bridge that gap. Salinas said all students are effectively subsidized because tuition does not cover the full cost of their education, while about 40% receive additional need-based financial assistance.

Families seeking additional aid submit a hardship letter and tax returns for the school to assess their financial need. The school’s Founders Scholarship Program was created around the founding vision of making tuition more accessible.

For Genesis Fortunato, that assistance made private Christian education possible for her twin daughters, Ashley and Alicia Fortunato, now fifth graders.

“Dawn Treader opened its doors to my children and provided scholarship assistance when I did not have the financial resources to make that opportunity possible on my own,” Fortunato said.

The twins have attended Dawn Treader for three years. Fortunato said her family considered changing schools after one of her daughters had received therapy and additional support elsewhere for socialization, communication and behavior but was not making the progress the family had hoped to see.

After learning about Dawn Treader through Salinas and King of Kings Worship Ministries, Fortunato enrolled her daughters at the school. Salinas founded the non-denominational Paterson church with his wife, Sandra Salinas. The church, located at the same Market Street address as Dawn Treader, describes its mission as combining worship with service and community outreach. 

After learning more about the school, Fortunato enrolled her daughters.

“Things they were once afraid to try, they are now willing to do, even if it means making a mistake and starting again,” Fortunato said.

Supporting Students Beyond Academics

Dawn Treader’s faith-based approach is also intertwined with how staff members describe their relationships with students and families.

This year, the school has expanded STEM programming to include robotics, coding, science and math for elementary and middle school students. Darby said staff members are also working to reduce absenteeism and strengthen reading and math performance.

During the previous school year, Dawn Treader worked with Inspired Instruction to provide professional development and coaching for teachers, including strategies for small-group instruction and additional academic support.

The school also operates Impact Programming outside the traditional school day. Salinas said the after-school program serves about 150 children, including students from surrounding schools. Dawn Treader also offers morning programming and a summer camp that the school says serves more than 70 students annually.

For parent Yasnil Lopez, whose son Zachary Lopez has attended Dawn Treader since kindergarten and is now in fourth grade, the school’s smaller environment and relationship with families have shaped his experience.

“Every child deserves to feel safe, heard and seen,” Lopez said.

Darby said caring for students can require staff members to take on roles that extend beyond their formal job descriptions.

“We’re counselors, we’re teachers, we feel like nurses,” she said. “Sometimes we feel like pastors, friends, aunts, sisters, parents, fathers, mothers.”

Salinas said students who have remained at Dawn Treader through eighth grade have completed eighth grade and continued to high school. Students whose educational needs require specialized teachers or services the school cannot provide may transfer elsewhere.

Based on surveys from former students, at least 80% of responding graduates have continued to college, trade school, and/or entered careers in public and social services, demonstrating that the school’s commitment to its students leads to measurable outcomes.

Extending a Founder’s Vision

The renovation work at Dawn Treader during summer 2026 marked another chapter in the school’s history.

The school has a yearslong relationship with Servant’s Heart Ministry, a Christian nonprofit that uses staff and volunteers to complete renovation projects and operates trades-training programs.

That partnership proved valuable in the summer of 2026, when Dawn Treader kicked off its  2026 renovation project, including a new cafeteria, bathrooms and teachers’ lounge.

Those renovations are separate from a much larger redevelopment underway nearby at The Great Falls Center.

The two buildings are within eyesight of one another, linking Dawn Treader’s longtime home with a roughly 40,000-square-foot former industrial property at 39 McBride Ave. Ext. that school leaders and Servant’s Heart are developing into a community hub.

The connection between the projects stretches back to Van Denend.

Dawn Treader’s history has always extended beyond the classroom. In the 1980s, ECUMP operated a woodworking program that taught practical skills to community members before the effort was paused as the organization concentrated on the school.

Decades later, a former Glenro property connected to Van Denend became the foundation for reviving that idea. Dawn Treader says it began collaborating with Servant’s Heart in 2017 and finalized a partnership agreement in 2020 to pursue programs centered on trades and urban ministry.

Today, Servant’s Heart manages construction at the Great Falls Center using staff and volunteers. Unlike the summer renovation work inside Dawn Treader, the center is undergoing a broader redevelopment of the entire property.

Servant’s Heart already operates its free Workmanship Program there, providing introductory training in trades including general construction, masonry, plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, welding, woodworking, tile and automotive.

Salinas said Dawn Treader students already use the center through the Workmanship Program and field trips.

Plans for the property extend beyond trades. Salinas said educational opportunities are expected to include music, art, dance, theater, content creation and photography. The Great Falls Center project also calls for culinary training, food and gathering spaces and an auditorium.

The center is intended to serve people throughout Paterson, not only Dawn Treader students and families.

“I hope this partnership provides a greater sense of empowerment, sustainability, and continued hope for our community,” Salinas said. “Ultimately, our goal is to see these opportunities contribute to meaningful transformation in the lives of many people, not only our students, but families and members of the broader Paterson community.”

Beyond the School’s Doors

That broader community focus is not limited to the Great Falls project.

Dawn Treader’s volunteer and outreach programs extend beyond its enrolled students. Each August, the school participates in Community Day, which provides Paterson children and families with activities and free items, including backpacks filled with school supplies, sneakers and nonperishable food. For the 2026 event, Dawn Treader sought about 50 volunteers to support the effort.

Community Day is part of a longer outreach effort. According to Dawn Treader’s 49th-anniversary campaign, its Impact Initiatives have distributed more than 5,000 backpacks with school supplies to Paterson children while also supporting tutoring, mentoring, music, arts and after-school activities.

Salinas said Dawn Treader’s community involvement also includes the King of Kings City Impact Love Banquet and continued efforts to serve children and families throughout Paterson. City Impact is a Paterson outreach ministry that works through community and ministry partnerships to serve people in need. The organization lists Dawn Treader as one of its primary ministry partners.

Looking Toward 50

For now, Dawn Treader is celebrating 49 years with no plans to stop the progress it’s already made.

For Fortunato, the future she imagines is personal. She hopes Dawn Treader will one day expand beyond eighth grade so families like hers could remain in the same educational community through high school. The school has not announced plans for such an expansion.

For Darby, the school’s future comes back to the students it serves.

“We want to see these students prosper in every avenue of their lives,” she said.