Offerings
Programs
Core Offerings for 2024 - 2025
Through our continually evolving core offerings, educators and leaders have access to high-quality, leading-edge professional development opportunities specific to working in a Jewish early childhood setting. This includes individualized coaching, peer learning experiences, leading-edge leadership development, and innovative programmatic opportunities.
School Leader Support
Monthly network meetings will be a sacred space for school leaders to build community, connect and discuss pedagogy and leadership. 4 of these monthly meetings will include teacher council members with the goal of strengthening partnerships and shared leadership in each school.
Monthly network meetings will be a sacred space for school leaders to build community, connect and discuss pedagogy and leadership. 4 of these monthly meetings will include teacher council members with the goal of strengthening partnerships and shared leadership in each school.
Regularly scheduled meetings to share important workforce development, advocacy opportunities or other relevant topics.
Participants take turns confidentially presenting work situations to reflect upon feelings, actions and reactions as a result of interactions with staff and families to grow as leaders. Monthly, virtually
School leader coaching available with designated Efshar coach. Leadership support is always available from Victoria Bisharat, but deeper coaching sessions focused on developing your leadership practice are available through the coaching support selected by each school.
Each partner school can utilize their coaching hours to create a meaningful professional development training for their staff during PD week. Typically these trainings occur with the school’s designated Efshar coach and are between 1-3 hours in length. Schools are asked to notify their coach if they will be using them for PD week by June 30th, 2024.
Leaders who participated in the 3 year Pedagogical Leaders Community of Practice between 2021-2024 will convene twice throughout the year and coaching support will be available to this cohort
Educator Offerings
Monthly convenings with selected teacher leaders across Efshar Network schools. Meetings will be a hybrid format with 4-5 meetings coinciding with the Monthly School Leader Meetings. Council members will learn in partnership with school directors to discuss pedagogy, advocacy and shared leadership models.
Online PD off erings available for all educators on topics ranging from pedagogy, advocacy, stories from within our fi eld, and more! Affi nity groups will create another space for educators to collaborate. Dates TBD, time will be 6pm-7:15pm on Zoom.
Annual day of learning and community for all network educators to deepen their thinking with the guidance of inspiring presenters and topics. Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Schmidt Chapman | January 6th, 2025
Efshar coaches will collaborate with leaders to off er tiered coaching support intended to elevate pedagogical and teaching practices with identifi ed educators to enhance quality and depth for teachers and their students.
Through our partnership with ElevatEd, we are proud to off er Pyramid Plus, and other classes that will support teachers in becoming ECT qualifi ed at no cost. Classes must be approved by Victoria Bisharat and are available until funding runs out.
External Partnership Opportunities
ElevatEd is a groundbreaking collaborative national initiative with the JCCA, URJ and JFNA to transform the fi eld of early childhood Jewish education. The Boulder/ Denver community is part of the fi rst ElevatEd cohort. Up to 10 new educators and 10 mentors can participate in this initiative which includes high quality curriculum, stipends, mentor support, and director training focused on recruiting and retaining ECE educators.
Schools that choose to participate in the Childcare Development Specialist Apprenticeship program will have the opportunity for educators employed in their programs to be apprentices, or mentors, while receiving on-site support, training and access to low cost or free education while fully employed.
Early Childhood Service Corps (ELSC), trains older adults to be substitutes in ECE programs across Colorado. Schools participating in ElevatEd can access the ELSC “Relief Squad” and be paired with one consistent trained sub/fl oater. Additionally, all schools in our network can partner with ELSC to access additional staffi ng support.
Community of Practice Learning Cohorts
Applied learning and cohort experience for select leaders who serve in a pedagogical leadership role to have an opportunity to deepen thinking about teaching, pedagogy and learning in a leadership capacity. Monthly evening meetings, hybrid virtual and in-person
We are committed to off ering sacred spaces for ECE professionals to learn alongside each other, and we want to be intentional about creating this experience. More information to come.
