Chabad Preschools Share Ideas

The Chabad Early Childhood Education (CECE) Network, a division of The Shluchim Office, helps Chabad preschools bring the best education to the children in their communities.

In many communities, the preschool is an important vehicle for Chabad Centers to reach the youngest children and their families. Thus, they strive to base their Chabad preschool program on best educative practices and excel in all areas.

The CECE Network’s goal is to guide and inspire directors to enhance their school and educational programs, aiming for high quality standards and results.

A key area of the CECE Network’s focus is to help Shluchos and preschool directors learn from each other’s experience. To that end, the CECE Network provides workshops, a forum and email groups for directors to share ideas.

The CECE also organizes high quality workshops and conferences about running a preschool – leadership, marketing, working with staff, administrative issues and (of course) early childhood education. Last year, the CECE Network coordinated the “CECE @ Bing” seminar, a three-day conference at Stanford University’s famous Bing Preschool.

Mrs. Devora Krasnianski, director of the CECE Network, recently visited a dozen schools in the metro New York and Southern California areas to learn about their programs and share ideas that she had seen or learned from other preschools.

The directors were very happy to share materials, insights and stories so that the efforts they put into their own schools would help preschools in other communities. Devora gathered materials and photos to share with the rest of the CECE members at the upcoming CECE Day of Inspiration, Ideas and Networking which will be held next week on Monday, 27th of Shvat (February 20) immediately following the Kinus Hashluchos.

The CECE Day of Inspiration, Ideas and Networking is a full schedule of activities for preschool directors and educators to learn from each other’s work while gaining chizuk and practical ideas for running their Chabad Preschool.

Members of the CECE Network are grateful for its services and structure for learning, with each Shluchah benefitting from a different aspect of the Network:

The highlight for one shlucha is the support and camaraderie of other Shluchos doing the same thing. “When I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of running my preschool, I know I can turn to my fellow CECErs for a pick-me-up, and I will receive practical ideas on how to work things out…”

Another Shlucha expressed her appreciation and admiration for the high-quality ideas that are brought directly to her via the online forums and workshops, and she is grateful that she doesn’t have to seek out others to learn new things. “From the interesting topics brought up on the forum and the online workshops, I learned many things that I brought into my school – from practical curriculum ideas to ways to save money, staff development to programs for parents, outdoor learning and so much more.”

And yet another finds that the inspiration shared through the CECE Network affects her personally and thus positively impacts her Shlichus and family. “So many interesting discussions really touched me personally, in my own life, as well as professionally – how I think about my Shlichus, the preschool, and how I can really make a difference in the lives of my students and their families. “

The Chabad Early Childhood Education (CECE) Network was established five years ago by The Shluchim Office to serve as a central support and resource network for those who run or direct a Chabad preschool. Its goal is to help directors make their local Chabad preschool the preeminent choice within their community. Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Walder of Skokie, IL are the dedicated visionaries who support this critical institution.

The CECE Network provides a framework for deeper thinking about how an excellent preschool can create long-lasting connections with Judaism. Among its many services, the CECE Network provides an online forum, annual and regional conferences, a peer review system, online workshops, conference calls, seminars, articles, and guided online discussion groups.

For more info, visit shluchim.org/CECE