There might be no better place to work. The day the Intermountain Jewish News visited BMH-BJ preschool it was global travel day. Each classroom has adopted a country. “Greece” is decorated in blue and white; teachers and students are wearing togas, olive oil samples await sampling as do other Greek delicacies. Adorable preschoolers roam the hallways, passports in hand, on their journey to foreign lands. The enthusiasm — among both teachers and students — is palpable.
It’s quite a turn around for a preschool that under two years ago was in dire straits. Enrollment was down to 40 and the preschool was struggling with leadership turnover. Fast forward two years and the school is basically at capacity, with 105 students.
For board president Sarah Raphaely, this change is more than a reflection of what she calls the “cyclical nature” of preschools. She credits this remarkable transformation to two things: an engaged parent body and the appointment of Lindsey Levin-Salamon as preschool director.
Of course, these two fundamental changes did not occur spontaneously. The engine that drove the change was being part of Rose Community Foundation’s BUILDing Jewish ECE program. The goal was simple — turn visits into applications. Achieving the goal is trickier. It requires commitment on the part of staff, parents and synagogue, because that’s what the RCF program offers: a commitment to the preschool in the form of a two-year program, a coach and a rich toolbox to help the ECE rebrand and market.
At the core is helping the ECEs engage families, accomplished primarily through programming and interaction. Gone are the days of mere drop off and pick up. Parents want to remain involved in their child’s early education, even if they can’t physically be there. So the BMH-BJ Preschool teachers use the Kaymbu app to send parents reports. These go out daily, and include pictures of the children, a summary of activities and the learning achieved through the activities.
“They’re substantive,” says Levin-Salamon. “Parents want to be an engaged part of their children’s education.”
The hallways of BMH-BJ Preschool reflect the same kind of communication sent to parents. Walls are covered with artwork by the children and pictures of the kids during different activities — a recent example was a STEM-based lesson, with kids learning about building and engineering by creating their own structures.
This is what parents will see when they come into the preschool, and in the five programs throughout the year that parents are encouraged to attend.
Judaism has always been a big part of BMH-BJ Preschool, so it’s no surprise that most of these programs are based around the Jewish calendar, such as Dreidels & Donuts (Chanukah) and Pizza in the Hut (Sukkot).
According to Raphaely, parents love these programs, and it’s the engagement of the parents that’s making a huge difference.
“When a parent sees what their child is doing, and says, ‘Oh, that’s so nice,’” that encourages engagement, Raphaely says. It creates an invested parent body, which is necessary for the kinds of next steps the preschool is already undertaking.
On the near horizon is a new playground or a “nature-based extension of the classroom,” as Levin-Salamon describes it. “All the learning that’s done inside can be done outside.”
For example, a bike path may teach balance.
Passover can be explored through fresh parsley grown in the playground garden.
A music wall provides the opportunity to explore sound and hand movement.
Like the preschool, Judaism and Israel will be present in the playground; for example, a planned “Masada” climbing area.
The preschool plans for the playground to open in October, and is in its financial fundraising push.
The playground, which will have age-appropriate areas, is another example of how parents have become engaged in the preschool; they’re helping with the funding push, but it was a parents’ committee that also helped design the playground, together with input from teachers.
Learning through play is not limited to the outdoor spaces at the preschool. The idea, Levin-Salamon explains, is to design play with “intentionality.” That means embedding skills in thoughtful play. An example: Writing in sand or paint. The child develops motor skills and learns to shape letters through a tactile medium. “Children learn through play,” she says.
Perhaps what made the turnaround so achievable are the preschool’s teachers. While the preschool faced challenges, teaching staff wasn’t one of them, says Raphaely. In fact Levin-Salamon — who herself was a teacher for four years prior to becoming director in May, 2016 — says they “kept the place afloat.” They remained steadfast and dedicated to their pupils, who range from six weeks to five years of age.
“We have the most creative, most passionate teachers,” says Salamon-Levin.
For the annual mother’s breakfast, a highlight for kids and parents, the teachers, on their own time, created 3-D flowers, says Levin-Salamon, to decorate the room.
“They see the kids as their top priority,” she says.
With pedagogy ever changing, the teachers keep up by going to conferences and participating in in-house trainings. The preschool also works with an education consultant, and Levin-Salamon takes part in meetings of ECE directors with Judi Moroshok, director of JEWISHcolorado’s ECE program.
“These are long-term teachers,” says Levin-Salamon. “They want to learn.” A quality, Raphaely says, “that Lindsey instills.”
A peek into “Greece,” accompanied by Levin-Salamon, is evidence of the syngergy among students, teachers and administration. Greetings are exchanged across the room, teachers dressed in togas bustle between the students and the accoutrements prepared in honor of their “country,” and young, excited voices fill the room.
Indeed, there might be no better place to work, or if you’re young enough, be lucky enough to spend your day.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
Copyright © 2018 by the Intermountain Jewish News