Support for Early Childhood Educators
The Jewish Education Center supports Cleveland's Jewish early childhood programs in a variety of ways:
Funding for individual teachers, Supporting professional learning opportunities, Offering curriculum and materials, Convening Early Childhood Directors Network
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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High quality early childhood programs are dependent on highly qualified teachers. The Jewish Education Center (JEC) supports the professional development of our local educators in a variety of ways. The JEC assists directors in the setting up of school-based courses, whether these courses are localized in one school or are the cooperative efforts of two or more early childhood programs. It also organizes community wide learning opportunities.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CLASSES
All staff members in JEC-affiliate early childhood programs are asked to commit to their own professional growth by completing a minimum of 10 hours of coherent professional learning each academic year. These are often developed by local education directors in cooperation with the JEC, while some are offered community wide. Check with your director annually for more information.
When that learning is “coherent” (meaning that the ten hours are all on the same theme), the JEC offers individual completion stipends to teachers.
Teachers who are enrolled in CDA or college courses may count their college-level learning towards these 10 annual hours.
COLLEGE COURSES, DEGRESS AND COACHING
The State of Ohio has been working hard to upgrade early childhood education with a five star quality rating system (Step Up to Quality) and other initiatives.
The JEC, in cooperation with Ohio's TEACH program, offers funding to help early childhood teachers and assistant teachers increase their general educational background, through the following programs:
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- A Child Development Associate Credential (CDA), via college coursework at University of Cincinnati (distance learning) or Tri-C (local)
- An Associates in Early Childhood Education at Tri-C, Lakeland or the University of Cincinnati (the latter is distance learning)
- A Bachelors in Early Childhood Education at Cleveland State University, University of Cincinnati (distance learning), or a local college with similar tuition
- A Masters Degree or teacher licensing.
- Note: to learn more about funding available for these two options, contact Elana Cohen or click here for information on the JEC's Professional Growth Plan (PGP)
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Ohio's TEACH program offers incredible benefits towards a CDA, an Associates and to a limited degree, a Bachelors. Teachers and Assistant Teachers in JEC-affiliate programs are encouraged to apply to Ohio's TEACH program for great funding opportunities; the JEC will help fill in tuition so that 100% is covered.
When teachers are not TEACH-eligible, the JEC will help provide funding.
The JEC also has funding for teachers who haven’t been to college before (or in recent years) to take a “toe-in” to college learning; the community will cover the cost of one course.
For more information on any of these programs, contact Jessica Robins, JEC’s Educator for Early Childhood Excellence.
PROFESSIONAL COACHING
Teachers and assistant teachers desiring to improve their practice may request a coach from Jessica Robins at the JEC. The coach is at no cost, and a completion stipend is available to the teacher.
COMMUNITY-WIDE LEARNING
The Jewish Education Center supports the Early Childhood Directors Network in developing an approximate every-other-year community-wide early childhood evening of learning (erev iyyun) for staff. These are funded by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Fund for the Jewish Future and offered at no charge to the teachers or their educational programs.
Past conference keynote presenters have included
2002: Maxine Handleman, USCJ
2003: Mimi Chenfeld, JCC Columbus
2006: Diana Ganger, JECEI
2008: Jamie Gottesman, ODJFS
Dr. David Brody, Efrata College of Education, Israel
2009: Dr. Lilian Katz, University of Illinois
2012: Diane Frankenstein, Reading Together
2013: Dr. Mark Horowitz, JCCA
2015: Cathy Roland, URJ
2017: Lorrie Appleby. Loose Parts
2019: Dr. Meir Muller, University of South Carolina
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR DIRECTORS
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Early Childhood Directors Network
The Early Childhood Directors Network (ECDN) truly reflects the diversity of Cleveland’s Jewish community. This wonderfully collaborative group has directors that hail from our congregational, community-based and day school-based early childhood programs.
The ECDN meets monthly during the school year, with a focus on:
- Collegial sharing of key early childhood issues including child development, curriculum, administrative issues, and the Jewish growth of children and families.
- Understanding and meeting the State of Ohio’s licensing requirements, and for most of our Jewish programs the Step Up to Quality voluntary rating system.
- Professional development of teachers, both within individual programs and community-wide.
In partnership with this network, the JEC also supports a biennial Yom Iyyun (day of learning) for teachers, as well as annual professional development for the directors. Additionally, the JEC supports the Early Childhood Directors Network in developing an annual professional development opportunity for themselves. In recent years these learning opportunities have been with `
- Dr Jen Glaser, Mandel Leadership Institute
- Steven Harf, Marketing
- Mark Horowitz, JCCA
- Dr. Lifsa Schachter, Siegal College
- Dr. Jenny Walinsky, Cleveland Psychological Assessments
- Dr. Ron Wolfson, American Jewish University
- Lorrie Appelby, Loose Parts
- Dr. Meir Muller, University of South Carolina
For early childhood directors wishing to attain a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the American Jewish University (online), or Gratz College (online) or a Masters in Jewish Education from Hebrew College (online) should be in touch with Rabbi Stacy Schlein.