ElevatEd is a collaborative initiative to transform early childhood Jewish education through recruitment, training, mentoring, and support of new teachers in diverse pioneer communities across North America. Self-described as pioneering bold solutions to an urgent crisis around the recruitment and retention of educators.

ElevatEd

ElevatEd | 133 followers on LinkedIn. Uplifting early childhood Jewish educators and their communities. | Uplifting early childhood Jewish educators and their communities.

Senior Director of Education and Engagement

Sasha Kopp Hass (she/her)

Savanna cares for her students, making every one of them feel seen, heard, loved, trusted, and safe. How do you make your students comfortable and confident in your classroom?

Monday, ElevatEd's Executive Director Orna Siegel advocated for early childhood education at the Jewish Federations of North America 's General Assembly! Orna sat on the panel titled "The Modern Jewish Family Today," which explored the evolving landscape of Jewish families with young children, anchored by insightful research from Alex Pomson at Rosov Consulting . The panel was lead by ElevatEd's partner Dawne Bear Novicoff from the Jim Joseph Foundation and included inspiring leaders Jonathan Shmidt Chapman of the The K'ilu Company , and Naomi Sage from JCC HARLEM . Together, they highlighted the essential needs and aspirations of families, and Orna shared how ElevatEd is supporting early childhood Jewish educators and their communities to rise to this pivotal moment. Supporting our educators means nurturing a stronger, more vibrant Jewish future, and it was deeply rewarding to engage in this dialogue with passionate advocates and leaders. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #JewishCommunity #ElevatEd #JFNA #GeneralAssembly2024 #JewishLeadership

It was a privilege for ElevatEd's Executive Director, Orna Siegel to advocate for early childhood education at the Jewish Federations of North America 's General Assembly! Orna was featured as part of the panel titled The Modern Jewish Family Today, which explored the evolving landscape of Jewish families with young children, anchored by insightful research from Alex Pomson at Rosov Consulting . The panel was moderated by ElevatEd's partner Dawne Bear Novicoff from the Jim Joseph Foundation and shared the stage with inspiring leaders: Jonathan Shmidt Chapman of the The K'ilu Company and Naomi Sage from JCC HARLEM . Together, the essential needs and aspirations of families were highlight as well as how ElevatEd is supporting early childhood Jewish educators and their communities to rise to this pivotal moment. Supporting our educators means nurturing a stronger, more vibrant Jewish future, and it was deeply rewarding to engage in this dialogue with passionate advocates and leaders! #EarlyChildhoodEducation #JewishCommunity #ElevatEd #JFNA #GeneralAssembly2024 #JewishLeadership

Mentors: You have a very important role to play as you shape the next generation of early childhood educators. Build a stronger relationship with your mentee using these four recommendations: --Connect with one another: A strong and positive relationship built on trust is key to success. --Schedule weekly meetings: Whether meeting in person, a Zoom call, a phone call, or even a casual lunch, you can and should create time for one another. --Be clear about your role: Let your mentee know that you are there to listen, advise, and support. --Set goals: Discuss and establish realistic expectations and benchmarks for the school year. --Make time for classroom visits: Have pre-observation conversations to explain your role as a collector of information. Someone who is there to advise, not critique. For more recommendations, read this blog from our colleague Joan Jennings, lead teacher at Temple Beth Avodah in Massachusetts: https://lnkd.in/eWsaFbQP

As educators, we are always learning. By learning, we strengthen our skills and knowledge, and in turn, our students strengthen their skills and knowledge.

Early childhood directors: Who should you be recruiting to fill educator roles at your school? Try camp counselors. They are patient, creative problem solvers with experience fostering Jewish identity — and those are the skills a person needs to be successful in this field. To start recruiting outstanding educators, you first need to build relationships with Jewish camps. This is how: https://lnkd.in/eEWJi_Rr

All of our educators have a unique path to early childhood careers. Marisa and Laura reflect on how their original intentions made their way back to our youngest learners.

Our Emerging Educators participate in three tracks of learning for 90 minutes each week. 1️⃣ Teaching + Learning 2️⃣ Jewish Learning + Exploration 3️⃣ Child Development We are grateful to our partners K'ilu, Teaching Beyond the Square, and Erika Bocknek, Phd, LMFT , for their collaboration and creativity.

In Denver and Boulder, Jewish educators are transforming their classrooms with the support of ElevatEd! As we kick off our work with the second cohort of educators with The Efshar Project , hear directly from those who participated last year as they work to shape the next generation of learners. Thank you to community coordinator, Victoria Bisharat , for collecting their stories! https://lnkd.in/dG4F9ZRT

Alongside UJA-Federation of New York and The Jewish Education Project , ElevatEd was thrilled to host a mini conference to launch the Long Island cohort’s experimentation grant work! Marta Nemesh, consultant and presenter with Matan, facilitated the group’s exploration of behavioral challenges in the early childhood setting and provided concrete strategies and techniques for adapting everyday routines and activities to ensure the success of all students in the classroom. The experimentation grant will continue this year through piloting social work support at The Gural JCC, Temple Beth Torah Melville, Community Synagogue, Huntington Jewish Center, and Forest Hills Jewish Center.

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