Jewish Foundations: Cultivating Wonder in Jewish ECE
In-Person
2025-26 Professional Learning Days for Bay Area Jewish Early Childhood Educators
Our communal professional learning days are an opportunity for Jewish early childhood educators to be in relationship with their local colleagues, learn from local experts in the field, and explore new ways of infusing Jewish life and content into their classroom.
This year our learning will focus on strategies for cultivating wonder and curiosity through a Jewish lens.
- Dates: From November 2025 to March 2026.
- Format: Drop-in, In-person Workshops.
Strategies and Lasting Impact of Wonder and Curiosity
Jewish tradition places high value on inquiry, exploration, and the search for understanding. From the Talmud’s model of layered questioning to the storytelling of Midrash and the rituals that invite us to pause and reflect, Judaism is inherently designed to spark curiosity and awe.
Please join us at our Jewish Foundations professional learning series to bring this approach to life to Jewish early childhood education (ECE).
- Aimed at: Early childhood educators working in Bay Area Jewish preschool settings.
- Structure: 3 distinct, in-person days of learning at local Jewish early childhood centers. You may attend one, more or all.
- Led by: A team of local Jewish ECE educators in collaboration with Ellen Lefkowitz, Jewish LearningWorks’ Senior Educator.
Program Details & Topics
Dates: From November 2025 to March 2026.
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at JCCSF Helen Diller Preschool in San Francisco: What’s Jewish About Loose Parts? Led by Karla Cianci and Mykenzie Busser, in collaboration with Abiba Bola, and Niki Banffy-Nesbitt – members of the most recent cohort of the AJU Masters program who together wrote the book with the same title. Learn more>>
- Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at Temple Sinai, Oakland: Bringing Jewish Stories to Life with Felt Boards. Led by Jane Simon, Artist-in-residence at the East Bay JCC and Jewish Early Childhood consultant. Learn more and register >>
- Friday, March 13, 2026 at Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco: Embracing Israel Education with Complexity and Care. Led by Yafit Shriki-Megidish, Chief Learning Officer at JCC East Bay. Learn more and register>>
Time: From 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Includes a vegetarian lunch. Please view our kashrut policy.
Location: Each workshop will be hosted at a local center, where you will have an opportunity to tour the site’s preschool for inspiration and ideas.
Participant Fee
Each workshop is $36 per person.
All trainings at Jewish LearningWorks are subsidized by our generous donors. If the cost is a barrier to your participation, do not hesitate to contact Ellen Lefkowitz at ellen@jewishlearning.works.
Registrations are open.
Questions
Please contact Ellen Lefkowitz, Senior Educator, at ellen@jewishlearning.works for any questions or more information.
About Our Facilitators
Karla Cianci, Site Director at JCCSF Helen Diller Family Preschool. Karla has been at Helen Diller Family Preschool since 2003. Being the Site Director of such a tremendously talented, committed, and diverse team of educators is her greatest privilege. The blend of Reggio Emilia Pedagogy and the daily weaving of Jewish Values into curriculum make Helen Diller Family preschool the place that Karla has chosen to call home for nearly two decades.
Karla has undergone numerous trainings and specializes in supporting children with Special Needs and their families. Understanding children’s unique learning profiles and how they can thrive and flourish, is a passion of Karla’s. In addition to serving as Diller’s Site Director, Karla supports families at all three campuses during their quests in finding the perfect fit for kindergarten. Kindergarten and kindergarten readiness is one of her favorite topics!
Something Karla truly enjoys is the old fashion art of letter writing. She spends hours on the weekends writing to friends and family. Karla finds peace in dreaming of ways to empower her children, family and educators to dream of ways to build a brighter future. In her spare time, Karla can be found hiking, swimming, biking, whipping up something delicious in her kitchen, or at the beach.
Mykenzie Busser, Assistant Director of Education at the OFJCC Leslie Family Preschool. Mykenzie has been a proud member of the OFJCC and Leslie Family Preschool for over 25 years, working both as an educator in the classroom and as an administrator. Mykenzie focuses on bringing the educational philosophy of Reggio Emilia and Constructivist Education, Judaism and the school’s vision into the classrooms and community. She works closely with the educators, children and families to develop curriculum, provide professional development and to create an engaging community built on trust, relationships and partnership.
Mykenzie is a graduate of San Jose State University with a degree in child development and is a fellow in the SHEVA Leadership Institute through the JCC Association of North America. She is a passionate educator and life-long learner that believes every child, family and educator deserves to be seen, heard and have their own unique story be told.
In Mykenzie’s free time she can always be found outside in the sun, at the beach or by her pool with a good book. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her husband Mike and her two boys, Ryan and Jake, who are both Leslie Family Preschool alumni and her dog Samson.
Jane Simon, Artist-in-residence at the JCC East Bay, and consultant for Temple Sinai. Jane fell in love with working with young children as an undergraduate working at the Lab School at Sarah Lawrence College. She continued her studies to earn a Masters in ECE at SUNY Buffalo. Over the years she have been a lead teacher and taught student teachers in many college and university laboratory classrooms, including Stanford University and Mills College. Since 2020 she has worked as a mentor with the JECELI Program and American Jewish University, as well as a Jewish Resource Consultant for Temple Sinai in Oakland, CA.
Yafit Shriki-Megidish, Chief Learning Officer at JCC East Bay. She is a veteran educator with an MA in Educational Management Systems from Hebrew University, and over 20 years experience in the field. Yafit’s areas of expertise include: Curriculum Development, understanding by Design, Classroom management and teaching skills, visible thinking, Inquiry based learning and Senior Educational Leadership training, community building, Jewish and Israeli identity etc. Before joining the JCC East Bay, she was the Executive Director at Studio 70, Edah Community.
