June 2020
Everyone Gets a Front Seat
Teaching and learning in our Early Childhood Center are always informed by best practice and by what we know about how young children develop.
Whether in the classroom at 20 Academy Road or in our own homes, constraints in the environment sometimes limit our ability to provide the best for every child. For instance,...Read more...
May 2020
Kudos to parents, partners in education
The Agudath Israel Early Childhood Center is inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia. A number of guiding principles of the Reggio movement are critical to our work.
When we shifted gears so quickly to establish school outside our building, our goal was to go into the virtual world while maintaining...Read more...
April 2020
Our building may be closed but our school is OPEN! In such a short time, the faculty of the ECC have found countless new ways to engage our families and ensure that everyone continues to feel...Read more...
March 2020
Everybody Knows My Name
I recently came back from a wonderful visit to Israel. In the short time I was there, I walked for miles, visited with family, slept in five different cities, explored underground caves, and attended an historic event. Every day was different but one thing stayed the same; everybody knew my name.
As soon as I arrived...Read more...
February 2020
Lots of Lights
As our four-year-old students left the Light Studio, one exclaimed, “That was epic!” Another one told us, “I wish I could spend a hundred million minutes there!”
This year, as part of our Hanukkah learning and celebrations, we created a new space for children and families to experience — the Light Studio.
Read more...
December 2019
Learning with Literacy Lab
Our school is committed to reflective practice — thinking deeply about our work, asking ourselves questions about what we have done, and refining our practices based on those conversations.
In the past few years, we have been thinking about literacy learning throughout the school and specifically for our fours, in...Read more...
November 2019
Learning to listen to nature
Gabe Goldman, a noted Jewish educator and nature enthusiast shared this story: A rabbi in the Old Country taught his son every morning. Every afternoon the boy would take his Bible and Jewish books and go into the forest on his own. The father didn’t understand why his son would do this, so he said to his son, “Why do you go into the woods to...Read more...
October 2019
The ECC Educational Enhancement Fund
The ECC Educational Enhancement Fund provides for so many wonderful extras for our school.
Donations to the fund have been used to buy special learning materials and books as well as new ipods and other technology support.
Each year the fund supports our theater program...Read more...
September 2019
Musings on the Waze
During the summer, I had a chance to drive to many new places. While driving, I thought about the advances and improvements of our navigation systems.
It’s been 10 years since I got my first Garmin GPS (a gift from the teachers in the school where I was working at the time; they had pity on me every time I got lost and...Read more...
June 2019
Communicating With Our Children
As a young child, I heard stories about the very first time my father used a pay phone (it was to ask my mother out on a date!), the first time my grandfather bought a family car, and the first time my parents went to see a "talking picture" (movie with sound).
I felt certain that the differences between my...Read more...
MAy 2019
Watching the Wings of Hope Unfold
March 20, 2019, marked 50 years since the publication of one of the most widely read and deeply loved children’s books. No matter how many times children hear this story, they long to revisit it and hear it again.
To mark this historic event in school, all of the classes did a study of the book. The twos...Read more...
April 2019
Welcoming Our New Play Structure
With tremendous joy and celebration we welcomed a beautiful new addition to our ECC environment. Our indoor playroom is now enhanced with a new structure for climbing, sliding, hiding, and exploring.
We had a beautiful dedication ceremony with all the threes and fours. The children shared their own ideas about...Read more...
March 2019
Children learn best when they connect their bodies and their minds. As they sing and dance and act out stories, they have the opportunity to connect their bodies and minds and deepen their learning.
Each year we bring a theater program to our school to do a live performance for our students. In anticipation of the show, the children read the book associated with the play, act...Read more...
February 2019
Family Havdalah
Families of children from the Early Childhood Center and of kindergartners and first- and second-graders came together for a special evening, including Havdalah and bedtime Sh’ma. After our beautiful musical service, families worked together to create pillowcases that will remind them of the bedtime Sh’ma ritual.
Read more...
January 2019
Making a choice at Choice Time
Classrooms are filled with materials that encourage and support learning. Toys, manipulatives, and loose parts are available to children to support their interests and help them learn new skills.
The teachers often make the choice about what materials to put out in the room. The children make the choice of where they will go and what they will do in that learning...Read more...
December 2018
Coming along on the journey of discovery
I recently had the honor of attending the national conference of the Association for Constructivist Teaching. Dr. Bruce Marlowe, chair of the Education Department at the University of South Carolina and author of many significant texts on Constructivist Education, was the keynote speaker.
He spoke about what educators can and must do in response to the...Read more...
November 2018
Learning Through Play
Our school is inspired by the belief that all children learn through play. If we provide the right environment, with the right materials and the right support — we see the learning happen! We chose the toys for the classrooms carefully and intentionally so that they will provide the most play value. As parents and relatives and friends begin looking for toys to buy for Chanukah...Read more...
October 2018
Mutual Caring Relationships
What great movies did you see this summer? My favorite film by far was “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” This documentary chronicles the life and work of Fred Rogers, an incredibly gentle and passionate human being, Mr. Rogers worked tirelessly on behalf of young children and their families.
As we watched Mr....Read more...
September 2018
Tapping into kids’ unique creative abilities
One of the key components of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is honoring the child as capable and confident. When we look at that through a Jewish lens, we refer to the child as being created b’tzelem Elokim, in the image of God.
We honor children by providing them with materials that are open-ended and give them ample opportunity to use their own...Read more...
June 2018
Professional development is a hallmark of the Early Childhood Center. Teachers are always encouraged to continue their learning and enhance their practice. I recently attended a conference with Alison Popky, a teacher in our fours program, who shared the remarks below. — Geula Zamist, director, Early Childhood Center
Read more...
June 2018
Professional development is a hallmark of the Early Childhood Center. Teachers are always encouraged to continue their learning and enhance their practice. I recently attended a conference with Alison Popky, a teacher in our fours program, who shared the remarks below. — Geula Zamist, director, Early Childhood Center
I was so fortunate to be able to attend the Paradigm...Read more...
April 2018
The child has
a hundred languages
a hundred hands
a hundred thoughts
a hundred ways of thinking
of playing, of speaking.
This quote from the famous...Read more...
February 2018 - STEM in the eCC
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning is being talked about a lot throughout our educational world. In higher education people are exploring new and innovative ways to excite children about science and math and to be sure they are prepared for 21st century careers.
In early childhood, STEM permeates our classrooms and our time with young children.
Children are naturally curious about the world around them,...Read more...
January 2018 - Literacy
When parents understand the process and approach to learning, they can truly be partners with us in the education of their children.
On December 7th, we gathered for a 
workshop dedicated to educating parents about literacy learning in our school. A presentation was...Read more...
Decemeber 2017 -Seeing our Divine Selves in our Journey Binders
We all hold fast to the idea that we have all been created in the Divine image. As such, we all have unique qualities inspired by God that are manifest in all that we do.
This notion, as many of our core beliefs, seems like a difficult idea to instill in very young children.
And yet, we have found over the last three years that we are able to convey this message through our Journey Binders.
Each child in our Early...Read more...
NOVEMBER 2017
As I approached the front door of Starbucks one morning in August, I was struck with dread as I read the sign on the door. This store will be closed for renovations through the end of September.
My daily stop at Starbucks is an integral part of my day. I have a set routine. The people there know me and know how I like my coffee. Grande Red Eye in hand I am ready to hit the road and start my day. From there I get on to the highway and...Read more...
October 2017
School got off to a wonderful start!
Our year began with real intentionality as we focused our schedule on d
eepening relationships with our...Read more...
September 2017
One magnificent morning this summer, I had the privilege of watching the sunrise over the ocean in Old Orchard Beach, Maine at 5:15 am, 5:20 am, 5:25 am, I stood in awe as the bright blazing sun appeared over the horizon. I thanked God for the opportunity to watch this breathtaking event, and then I found myself humming an old Cat Stevens song;...Read more...
What Do You Teach?
May 2017
Teachers are often asked “What do you teach?” Some respond “high school,” others answer “math,” and still others answer “phys ed.” Early childhood teachers answer “I teach children.”
Read more...
Toddlers at CAI’s Early Childhood Center
February 2017
Toddlers are filled with wonder, curiosity and passion and NOW Agudath Israel Early Childhood Center is filled with toddlers!
This year we expanded our very successful Extended Day program when we...Read more...
