Ignite Possibilities: Inspiring Growth in Jewish Early Childhood Educators
In-Person: Congregation Kol Ami: 252 Soundview Ave, White Plains
Free
Join The Jewish Education Project and the Jewish Early Childhood Association (JECA) for an inspiring, hands-on day of learning. Come ready to explore new ideas, connect with passionate peers, and leave empowered with fresh tools and inspiration to bring back to your classrooms.
Please be in touch with Amy Martin at amartin@jewishedproject.org if you have questions.
Schedule*
8:30 - 9:00am Breakfast
9:00 - 9:30am Welcome
9:30 - 9:45am Break
9:45 - 11:00am Workshop A
11:00 - 11:15am Break
11:15 - 12:30pm Workshop B
*Subject to change
Workshops
Review the workshop descriptions and presenter bios below prior to registering. The same workshops will be presented during both Workshop A and Workshop B session blocks. Please select 3 preferred workshops during registration, and we aim to assign to you 2 of your top choices. You will receive your confirmed workshop choices when you arrive at the conference.
After the conference, attendees will receive a short survey and a certificate of completion for continuing education/professional development training hours.
Beyond the Dress-Up Corner: Intentional Strategies to Spark Language-Rich, Imaginative Play for Every Learner
Alexandra Levine
Play is the work of childhood—an essential way children explore early math, science, and literacy concepts while developing problem-solving, social-emotional, and critical thinking skills. Yet supporting diverse learners in play, especially in dramatic or imaginative contexts, can be challenging. This session explores why pretend play is vital to development, how it builds the foundation for learning, and how educators can intentionally scaffold it. Participants will gain practical strategies to use language, routines, materials, and structure to foster language-rich, imaginative play that supports every child's growth and engagement.
Beyond Yom Ha'atzma'ut: Bringing Israel into Your Classroom
Sasha Kopp Hass
In many early childhood Jewish settings, children's learning about Israel often centers around holidays or special events. In this session, we'll move beyond that framework to imagine new ways of helping children experience Israel as a vibrant, diverse, and living culture. Grounded in developmentally appropriate practice and an understanding of identity and belonging, we will explore multisensory, play-based approaches that help children connect to Israel, whether or not they have a personal connection. Participants will leave with concrete strategies, creative ideas, and activities for weaving Israel learning throughout the year in meaningful, joyful, and inclusive ways for children and educators.
Building Blocks of Jewish Pride
Mara Braunfeld
Early childhood educators understand that every interaction helps lay the foundation for a child's sense of self. This workshop invites educators—whether or not they have a Jewish background—to explore how the Jewish Pride Outcomes can serve as building blocks for nurturing Jewish identity, connection, and confidence from the earliest years. Together, we'll consider strategies and tools for creating environments where children begin to see themselves as part of the Jewish story—joyfully, authentically, and with pride.
Creative Planning for Young Learners with AI as Your Assistant
Rivkah Schack
As an early childhood educator, you are a learning and environment designer, storyteller and educator—and AI can help behind the scenes make your many jobs more efficient. In this session, you'll explore how to use AI to brainstorm playful ideas, generate developmentally appropriate materials, and streamline your planning process. No tech skills required—just your creativity and curiosity. Walk away with tools and inspiration to support the intentional work you do every day.
Hear to Help: Listening Skills That Empower Teachers
Suri Ganz and Dr. Lisa Peloquin
In early childhood settings, teachers thrive when they feel heard, understood, and supported. Hear to Help is an interactive workshop designed for teacher leaders, mentors, and program directors who want to strengthen their ability to listen in ways that truly empower early childhood educators. Participants will explore the difference between hearing and truly listening—the kind of listening that builds trust, encourages reflection, and fosters professional growth. This session will equip you with practical listening skills that make a meaningful difference in how you support and empower your team.
Listening with Our Eyes: Documenting the Everyday Magic of Learning
Jennifer Carvajal
Classroom observations develop our understanding of each individual learner and help to drive emergent curriculum studies. Join Jennifer Carvajal, TBS Senior Educational Director, for a discussion about the value, purpose, and types of observations. We will dive deeper into note-taking systems and strategies, organization, and analysis of these observations as they relate to the Cycle of Inquiry. There will be time allotted for hands-on practice and specific questions and concerns.
Love and Limits: Building Effective Relationships with Parents/Guardians and Caregivers
Rebecca Schrag Hershberg
Please join Dr. Rebecca Hershberg for a lively and interactive conversation about how to forge healthy and productive partnering relationships with parents/guardians and caregivers. Dr. Hershberg will focus on how to better understand both sides of these potentially challenging interactions: the perspective of parents/caregivers, as well as your unique reactions and "triggers." The "Love and Limits" framework – familiar to many as a paradigm for working directly with young children – will be introduced as a practical tool for partnering with families in order to best serve children's needs and development.
Material Encounters: The Possibilities of Clay in Early Learning
Bonnie Levine
Get ready to dig in and discover the magic of clay! In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how clay can spark curiosity, creativity, and connection for young children. The first part of our workshop invites you to experience clay as children do. Then, we’ll explore how clay supports sensory development, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and expressive communication. Come ready to get a little messy, think deeply, and leave with new ideas, inspiration, and confidence to bring the magic of clay into your early learning environment! Come ready to get messy, think deeply, and leave inspired to bring the wonder of clay into your classroom!
Get ready to dig in and discover the magic of clay! In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how clay can spark curiosity, creativity, and connection for young children. The first part of our workshop invites you to experience clay as children do. Then, we’ll explore how clay supports sensory development, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and expressive communication. Come ready to get a little messy, think deeply, and leave with new ideas, inspiration, and confidence to bring the magic of clay into your early learning environment! Come ready to get messy, think deeply, and leave inspired to bring the wonder of clay into your classroom!
Seeds of Empathy: Teaching Kids to Care
Alana Rifkin Gelnick
We often wonder if and how to teach children empathy. Here's the thing, empathy doesn't just happen, it grows in the soil of our classrooms. In this session, we'll explore how young children begin to understand feelings, perspective, and compassion, and how teachers can nurture that growth through everyday interactions. We'll look at what research tells us about empathy's early roots and translate it into practical strategies for circle time, play, conflict, and connection. You'll leave with tools to help children not only recognize others' emotions but respond with genuine care; planting seeds that shape who they'll become.
Sensory Considerations in the Early Childhood Classroom
Marta Nemesh
Every child experiences the world through their senses, but not every child experiences it in the same way. In this interactive workshop, we will explore how sensory processing impacts behavior, learning, and engagement in early childhood classrooms. Participants will learn to recognize sensory-seeking and sensory-avoiding behaviors, understand how classroom environments influence regulation, and apply practical strategies to support diverse sensory needs. From designing calming spaces to rethinking transitions and materials, we will examine how sensory awareness can reduce challenging behaviors and promote a more inclusive, responsive, and peaceful classroom community where all children can thrive.
The Joys and Challenges of Team Work
Jean Schreiber
Most teachers are skillful in helping children respond to each other in respectful and caring ways. But team dynamics among the adults are far more challenging. Join me to learn ways to make your teaching team more positive and joyful. The practical skills of classroom work get easier with practice, but the deeper skills of personal growth happen when teachers reflect and share in a safe, trusting environment. We will explore the importance of trusting relationships, how beliefs and values impact team work, and the importance of effective communication and listening techniques.
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Setting
- Early Childhood Education
Mara Braunfeld
Mara Braunfeld serves as Senior Manager of the Think-Action Lab at The Jewish Education Project, helping to innovate in structure, pedagogy, and content across diverse Jewish educational environments. A Jewish educator with two decades of experience, Mara has held leadership roles at Hadar, Temple Israel Center (White Plains), JCC Manhattan, and Temple Shaaray Tefila (Bedford Corners). She earned her B.A. from Brandeis University and a Master's in Jewish Education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Mara brings a deep commitment to progressive, pluralistic Jewish education and to building meaningful, relational communities.
Jennifer Carvajal
Jennifer Carvajal has a passion for literacy, emergent curriculum, and open-ended learning experiences. She has coached for Teaching Beyond the Square since 2013, leading professional development and collaborating with educators across the country. She has partnered with The Jewish Education Project, The Paradigm Project and ElevatEd and presented at several conferences including Think Small Institute's Loose Parts Summit and the National Art Education Association's conference. Jennifer taught at Beginnings Nursery School for 9 years and received her B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Susquehanna University and her M.S. in Education, with a concentration in Literacy, from Hunter College.
Suri Ganz
Suri Ganz is Director, Teacher Induction at Jewish New Teacher Project. Suri joined JNTP in 2007 to support new teachers as a visiting mentor in day schools in Brooklyn and Queens. She currently develops and facilitates programming for mentor training and new teacher seminars. Suri also leads JNTP’s recruitment efforts. Suri has been active in middle and high school Jewish education for over 25 years and, since 2009, has been involved in co-authoring Foundations, a high school curriculum currently implemented in Jewish schools across the country. Suri holds an M.S. Ed in Curriculum Development and Outcomes Assessments from Aspen University.
Sasha Kopp Hass
Sasha Kopp Hass is the Senior Director of Education and Engagement at ElevatEd, a national initiative dedicated to strengthening the field of early childhood Jewish education. Previously, she served as a Senior Early Childhood and Family Engagement Consultant at The Jewish Education Project, where she supported educators and communities throughout New York. Sasha lived in Israel from 2014–2015 and has written and taught extensively about developmentally appropriate ways to incorporate Israel learning into early childhood classrooms. An advocate for joyful Jewish learning, Sasha helps educators reimagine how children connect to Judaism and one another through curiosity, creativity, and meaningful experiences.
Alexandra Levine
Alexandra Levine, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a developmental speech-language pathologist and founder of Levine Language and Learning in Montclair, NJ. With 15 years of experience, she specializes in evaluating and supporting neurodiverse students including those with speech and language disorders, language-based learning disorders, autism, social communication challenges, and twice-exceptional learners. Her background includes clinical and interdisciplinary work at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) and the Child Mind Institute. Alex brings a whole-child perspective to her work, helping educators and families understand how language, social cognition, emotion and attention regulation, and cognition interact to support learning, connection, and growth.
Bonnie Levine
Bonnie Levine, MSEd, has been an educator for more than 25 years and is currently a Studio Art Teacher and a Teaching Beyond the Square coach. Bonnie is also a ceramic artist and similar to her teaching practice where material exploration is essential, she draws inspiration and direction from the clay itself. Her current sculpture series utilizes thrown forms that are altered and reference the human form while exploring concepts of strength, vulnerability, and connection.
Marta Nemesh
Marta Nemesh, a Matan consultant, presenter and coach, is an enthusiastic educator with a Master's in early childhood education, curriculum and learning. With 20 years of experience in formal and experiential education in the form of early childhood, adolescents, and young adults. She works as an educator in an early childhood setting and is a creator and facilitator of workshops and professional development in play-based learning, child behavior, emergent curriculum, child development, and early childhood space design.
Alana Rifkin Gelnick
Alana Rifkin Gelnick is the Founder of Dreamearly, a company rooted in one simple idea: helping people help kids. Through coaching, bold content, and thoughtful product development, Dreamearly supports educators, parents, and school leaders in helping children thrive. She also hosts Stream of Dreamearly, a podcast where experts in education, and psychology share tangible takeaways that empower adults to support children with confidence, creativity, and care. Previously, Alana was Associate Principal of SAR Academy's Early Learning Center, where she led major innovations in space design, Hebrew immersion, and inclusion. She is a Pomegranate Prize and Robert M. Sherman Award recipient.
Rivkah Schack
Rivkah Schack is the Senior Managing Director of Educational Technology and Digital Strategy at The Jewish Education Project, where she leads national efforts to integrate AI, expand digital learning, and develop micro-credential pathways for Jewish educators. With over three decades in Jewish, Montessori, and classical education, she has founded two schools, built personalized and mastery-based learning models, and directed educator training organizations. Her work centers on guiding system-wide change through thoughtful use of technology, data, and human-centered design.
Rebecca Schrag Hershberg
Dr. Hershberg is a clinical psychologist, parenting coach, author, and public speaker who has been helping parents with their kids (and vice versa) for more than two decades through her extensive work in private practice, schools, major medical centers, and community-based organizations. She is the author of The Tantrum Survival Guide (Guilford Press), and has been published and cited frequently in the media. She is a co-host of Beyond the Sessions, a weekly segment of Securely Attached, a top-rated podcast focused on psychologically informed, research-based information about parenting, child development, and fostering secure attachment relationships between caregivers and children.
Jean Schreiber
Jean Schreiber is an early childhood educational consultant who, for over four decades, has developed and directed early childhood programs. She earned her M.S. from Bank Street College of Education where she is an instructor in the CPS Program. An engaging and highly informative speaker, Jean presents workshops on topics such as fostering social and emotional development of young children, creating developmentally appropriate classroom experiences, and supporting the emotional and professional growth of parents and educators. She serves as a consultant to a wide variety of early childhood programs and provides guidance to parents in individual and group settings.
www.jeanschreiber.com
www.jeanschreiber.com
Dr. Lisa Peloquin
Dr. Lisa Peloquin is a Senior Program Consultant at JNTP, where she creates and facilitates content for JNTP’s Early Childhood Cohort and the ElevatEd program. Lisa holds a B.A. in Psychology, with a concentration in child development, from Penn State and a Masters in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned her Ph.D. in community psychology from National Louis University, where she focused on her passion for building learning communities where children and adults thrive. Lisa can be reached at lpeloquin@jntp.org.
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