Professional development has always been an important part of the learning that happens for teachers and staff in early childhood education. During COVID, we were unable to gain access to the face-to-face connections we looked forward to making during conferences and days of learning with other early childhood professionals.
This year however, a “pop-up” conference opportunity presented itself, and I, along with a few colleagues, was able to attend a day of learning at Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy, most often referred to as SAR Academy in the Bronx. While the Bronx is not conveniently located to Long Island, the hour-long drive was well worth it.
Upon walking into the school, we were in awe of the school’s design and the learning happening in classrooms and outdoor spaces. The Early Learning Center at SAR is a new construction, completed in September of 2020, with open spaces for learning, a rooftop playground, indoor play spaces complete with a ball pit and climbing wall, as well as spaces for cooking, STEM learning and so much more.
While SAR is a day school, and our early childhood center in Port Washington does not offer a Hebrew-immersion component, there was still so much to be learned from our visit We were lucky enough to visit SAR on the heels of the school’s Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration, and we loved getting new ideas from the ways in which the individual classes celebrated. From hot air balloons created in blue and white with the number 75 on the basket (for Israel’s 75th birthday), to a life-sized Kinneret that demonstrated for the children the ways in which the water gets into their homes – there was inspiration everywhere.
The school design in itself was impressive. There were spaces for children to move and play, to hone their gross motor skills, and the rooftop playground was simple yet inspiring. The other teachers and I took many pictures to bring back to our colleagues in Long Island.
As an added benefit, we were able to ask questions of the SAR staff, and also to get to know other educators in attendance. During lunch, we sat with educators from a school in South Carolina. We had a rich conversation about how we run our classrooms, our available resources, and the ways in which we infuse Judaism into our curriculum.
The SAR staff was welcoming and friendly. Some of my favorite takeaways were simple and easy to incorporate into my classroom. I couldn’t wait to get back and put them into action.
As a teacher who has been teaching for over 20 years, and working in the same preschool for 11 years, I surprised myself by how much I got out of this conference. It is rare that we get the opportunity to tour a different school and to interact with other early childhood educators in this way. I am grateful to have been given this unique opportunity and to incorporate so many new ideas into my classroom.
Co-Written by Jaimee Stulberg, Head 3’s Teacher & Jen Schiffer Director
The Community Synagogue L’Dor V’Dor Early Childhood Center
