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Mindy Gold

    Mindy Gold

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    • Dale Cooperman (OLD ACCT) posted an article
      Building a Culture of Collaboration: Insights from an Intensive
      Collaboration isn’t something we simply “get”—it’s something we build together. At this year’s ECE-R see more

      Attending the annual ECE-RJ conference is always uplifting and inspiring.  This year, instead of single sessions, attendees had the opportunity to do a “deep dive” into a single theme in intensives.

      I attended “The Culture of Collaboration,” led by Mindy Gold. 

      An excerpted synopsis of this intensive:   “Care-holders include all the people in our learning community who are invested in, participate in, and care about the education context we lead. We will look closely at the lives and experiences of the people we serve, (care-holders) to determine where we successfully implement culture-sustaining practices and where we have opportunities to refine our practices as we build a collaborative culture. This intensive is ideal for educators looking for an opportunity to assess their current practices and plan and design for the future.”

      Mindy Gold did a masterful job of facilitating this intensive, and I have bulleted just a handful of the ideas that have been floating in my head since I arrived back at home.

      • Define it!
      • What is our shared purpose, and how is it defined and/or communicated?
      • Where are the gaps and challenges, and where can we find momentum?
      • Where can you build traction/collaboration?
      • What is your mindset?  Are you a banker or a midwife?
      • The language we use matters.
      • The more people there are, the more there are that can contribute.
      • Empathy leadership (who can we bring in?)
      • Different levels of expertise add to the community.
      • Creating a collaborative culture supports change and deep learning.
      • What can we do with what we already have?
      • Who has power?  
      • Who has agency?
      • Goals are nuanced with shared leadership.

      Each of these has subtexts – and support the idea that one doesn’t just “get” a collaborative culture, but that is something that is “built,” and that it’s not “to,” but “with.” With this new perspective and new tools, I look forward to continuing to build – and build on – to the culture of collaboration in my community.

      Ms. Dale Sides Cooperman, M.A., Ed. Spec.

      Director of Early Childhood Education

      Congregation Albert Early Childhood Center

      Albuquerque, NM
       February 20, 2025
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