Mara, Fran, Nia and I were working 3 months to have this amazing 5 days and I think we surpassed ourselves. We had learned a lot, we have talked a lot, we have connected ...
Today was a really special day. We visited one great preschool – Freire. The first thing I was impressed was the formidable yard that belongs to the preschool – it is like you are in the park. And the kids are really involved with the development of this park – they made a pond, they playing there, they observe the animals. The second great thing was the architecture of the building – the classrooms have a second floor and it’s made like this especially to develop again the way of children’s thinking – to give them the opportunity to see from different levels the same things. Also, they have a lot of internal windows to have more light and because the transparency is a value of this approach. They have transparent doors because of the visual communication. They keep on being open for the entire and the city, the community. The building of preschool Freire have an ecological vision and is created as a result of the collaborative work of bio architects, pedagogista, and ateliarista. They wanted to create welcoming place for the autonomy of the kids. And another special thing is that each classroom has its own atelier.
After I became a mother, for me the food that I give to my daughter has to be really special, homemade, bio, clean, for sure without white sugar and salt. So in this preschool, they almost are a mirror of my requirements. They do homemade food, it’s healthy and when we was there it’s smelled so good… And the next good thing was that the kitchen staff is really important part of the whole staff. The kitchen is the atelier of tastes, of smells, of seasons, of colors, of materials.
Also, we saw gorgeous classrooms, very clean, well organized, full of kids each of them doing something. And they were so autonomous. They have the freedom for so many choices – they played, they worked with clay, they read books, they arranged numbers and letters, they danced and they delivered and served the food.
And this preschool was so welcoming that we didn’t understand where passed the time for our visit.
I can’t wait for the toddler-infant center visit! ~ Beti Gershom, Early Childhood Director, Gan Balagan Sofia, Bulgaria
At the beginning of an amazing Shabbat in an amazing place, there was a sacred place. This Shabbat we pause, we disconnect to connect, we move from action to reflection and back from reflection to action. Talking about storytelling we create a good fairytale: “Once upon a time there was a kingdom. There lived an unknown family. And one day this family which was a group of great educators realize that they are really lonely. So they decided to go walking around the kingdom Reggio Emilia. They saw so many beautiful places and families and smiling kids. They went home and it was time for Havdala. They embraced themselves, they started singing and became aware that they are the amazing family with a perfect mission and that in the name of their kids they will do everything to have a good future!”
So this good family started their journey in the kingdom wisdom understanding that “When the adult is there – the child never forget”. They started organizing different places for their kids, they started to listen to the kids, they started to teach the kids to have a dialogue. They talked about the essence of childhood and taught that it’s the nature, play, songs, smile and freedom of being.
And then the amazing family went to the most special place in the kingdom – The Malaguzzi International Center and have one long, educational, understanding and at the same time a confusing day, full of strong sessions that gave them a lot of information how to work with kids. And the family became more united because they have a nice dinner talking about what they learned and what are their worries. Gelato was good ending of this long day. Have a good night, sweet family! ~ Beti Gershon, Director Gan Balagan, Sofia, Bulgaria
My first time in the States started with candle lighting at Fran’s home. It was a really special night – I had started Hanukkah in Jerusalem, I came back home to Bulgaria to light the candles with my family and the last night I spent with amazing people. We had a nice dinner and we sang Ladino songs for Hanukkah.
After the visit at Beth Sholom Early Childhood Center, I realized that the change needs a long time, it’s a long time process. I saw an amazing preschool where with a lot of patience and love, Michelle and Meredith are working for achieving their goal – a Reggio inspired preschool. And they already have their result – warm atmosphere, calm environment. In each classroom kids feel at home, everywhere are natural materials and teachers are behaving like equals with kids – they teach kids to be independent and responsible. Teachers believe in kids abilities. The meeting with Michelle and Meredith gave me ideas for different ways of training with my team. It’s important to work together with the team and to get them into the process for achieving some goals.
I was impressed by the visit of JCC. The “Open house” show me a lot of management things that I can bring for me. Ora is an amazing director which with lightness enchants people – teachers and parents. She is an enthusiastic and passionate manager and a good role model for her team. In the preschool I liked a lot the environment – it is a spacious and bright place, very nicely furnished, clean. The teachers there are smiling and calm. They have an incredible yard. This place inspired me to develop my managing skills.
I liked a lot the idea of Sunflower Bakery. Naturally, I compared it immediately to our community social
welfare project for students that can’t integrate to the society – they are working in the community helping old people. But Sunflower Bakery has another ...
formidable yard that belongs to the preschool – it is like you are in the park. And the kids are really involved with the development of this park – they made a pond, they playing there, they observe the animals. The second great thing was the architecture of the building – the classrooms have a second floor and it’s made like this especially to develop again the way of children’s thinking – to give them the opportunity to see from different levels the same things. Also, they have a lot of internal windows to have more light and because the transparency is a value of this approach. They have transparent doors because of the visual communication. They keep on being open for the entire and the city, the community. The building of preschool Freire have an ecological vision and is created as a result of the collaborative work of bio architects, pedagogista, and ateliarista. They wanted to create welcoming place for the autonomy of the kids. And another special thing is that each classroom has its own atelier.
“Once upon a time there was a kingdom. There lived an unknown family. And one day this family which was a group of great educators realize that they are really lonely. So they decided to go walking around the kingdom Reggio Emilia. They saw so many beautiful places and families and smiling kids. They went home and it was time for Havdala. They embraced themselves, they started singing and became aware that they are the amazing family with a perfect mission and that in the name of their kids they will do everything to have a good future!”
My first time in the States started with candle lighting at Fran’s home. It was a really special night – I had started Hanukkah in Jerusalem, I came back home to Bulgaria to light the candles with my family and the last night I spent with amazing people. We had a nice dinner and we sang Ladino songs for Hanukkah.
I was impressed by the visit of JCC. The “Open house” show me a lot of management things that I can bring for me. Ora is an amazing director which with lightness enchants people – teachers and parents. She is an enthusiastic and passionate manager and a good role model for her team. In the preschool I liked a lot the environment – it is a spacious and bright place, very nicely furnished, clean. The teachers there are smiling and calm. They have an incredible yard. This place inspired me to develop my managing skills.
