By COLlive reporter
Over 60 Chabad teachers and educators from around the Tri-State area joined together to learn and network at a joint Inservice Day, organized by The Shluchim Office last month.
The seminar, coordinated by by Mrs. Devora Krasnianski of the Chabad Early Childhood Education (CECE) Network, offered high-quality workshops and presenters to the many small and large Chabad preschools in the area.
Coming from Connecticut, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, these educators had the opportunity to network with and learn from teachers in other schools on the 28th of Teves (January 19, 2015).
“There are so many wonderful things happening in the different schools, and opportunities such as these provide the framework for educators to share and gain inspiration from each other’s experiences and work,” says Krasnianski.
The first workshop was facilitated by Linda White, an early childhood specialist who describes herself as a ‘play curator’. Her excitement for children’s growth and learning shone as she showed how to re-purpose odds and ends and materials for infinite ways of play and exploration in early childhood programs.
White brought many of her own original materials – light tables, springs and spools and offered to participants to explore them and get new ideas for how children can learn through interacting with those materials.
She also spoke of the teacher’s role of providing interesting and open-ended materials and as well as asking questions that engage the children’s thought process “tell me about your creation.”
Rivkah Schack, Educational Director of Lamplighters Yeshivah (Crown Heights), and lead teacher Gavi Goldberg spoke about teaching some of the key Jewish and Chassidic concepts even to the youngest children.
They are shared how they teach that every person has a spark of Hashem, and thus every person is special. They demonstrated how many of the typical Montessori works help children develop responsibility and Ahavas Yisrael.
Throughout the day, teachers from various schools had opportunities to network and share ideas, challenges and solutions. These relationships will hopefully continue throughout the year, so that all schools in the region can learn and gain from each other’s experiences.
The CECE (Chabad Early Childhood Education) Network was established 7 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. The CECE Network is a project of The Shluchim Office, and Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Walder of Skokie, IL are the dedicated visionaries who support this critical institution.
The network provides for its members a framework for deeper thinking about how an excellent preschool can create long-lasting connections with Judaism. It also provides an online forum, annual and regional conferences, a peer review system, online workshops, conference calls, seminars, articles, and guided online discussion groups.
The upcoming event for Shluchos is the CECE Day on Inspiration, Ideas and Camaraderie on Monday 27th of Shevat (February 16). For more, email preschool@shluchim.org or visit http://www.shluchim.org/CECEabout
