Educational Leadership

Our congregation's periodic strategic planning had identified a need for additional income streams, as well as a more intentional and comprehensive approach to engaging families with young children. Opening a preschool was chosen as the primary strategy, and the executive director and I staffed the project. Launching our Early Childhood Center involved feasibility studies and educational philosophies and everything in between, and ultimately to the hiring of our founding director. We opened in Fall 2009 with six students. Nearly 15 years later, it continues to be both a steady revenue source and a meaningful path to Jewish engagement, while also filling an important child care need in our local community.

Play is serious learning! Instead of plunking down a generic climbing structure, I guided a diverse group of congregants in imagining our outdoor space as a learning environment that would appeal to the imagination of kids of all ages and styles. Over several months, we worked with a Natural Playscapes designer to create an amazing mini-wonderland that reflected our Jewish values. Each play element was linked to stories, characters, or places from our tradition. Artists and teachers created murals, mosaics, and other group pieces. Finally, the entire project was assembled by congregational volunteers in a massive four-day work party.

In response to some high-profile incidents in the larger community related to bullying and teen suicide, I worked with our Religious School Board on an initiative that included research, policy development, student voices, and parent education.  Its implementation was scaffolded by schoolwide programming led by faculty and mental health professionals. The resultant policy, built on the framework of Keshet's Seven Values for Inclusive Jewish Community, has been used as a model by several other religious schools around the country.