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JECEI
MELAVOT
(COACHES)
Dr. Judith Bertacchi
Dr. Judith Bertacchi is a well known consultant, teacher and writer on issues pertaining to Early Childhood. She was one of the founders of the Illinois Infant Mental Health Association and for many years directed the Virginia Frank Child Development Center of the Jewish Family and Community Service in Chicago. She has her Masters degree from the Erikson Institute for Advanced Studies in Child Development and is also licensed as a Social Worker. She has served for many years as a trustee of the Erikson Institute and continues to be adjunct faculty, currently in their Infant Mental Health and Certificate Programs. Judy has a special interest in the infrastructure of those early childhood programs striving to be know for their excellence. Zero To Three, the premier National Organization founded by Irving B. Harris, has published her writing on Organization Design, Reflective Practice and Supervision. She understands the day to day running of early childhood programs and how to incorporate infant mental health principles into the bricks and mortar. She also spent five years as Vice President of Direct Services at the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago developing program and training for those working with children and families in poverty.
Dr. Lori Geismar-Ryan
Dr. Lori Geismar Ryan is currently the director and pedagogical coordinator of Clayton School District's Family Center in St. Louis, Missouri, a public school early childhood and parenting education program that offers learning experiences for families beginning in infancy. Prior to joining the Family Center 17 years ago, Lori earned her Ph.D. in early childhood education/research from the State University of New York at Buffalo and held the position of Assistant Professor of Early Education at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Clayton Schools' Family Center is part of a network of educators (along with The College School, St. Michael School and Webster University) who learn together, engage in collaborative inquiry, host visitors and engage in initiatives and projects with educators from Reggio Emilia and throughout North America to support education based on a strong image of children, teachers and parents. Lori's current interests include cultivating constructivist teaching and learning communities for children, parents, and teachers; facilitating teacher-leadership and teacher-research, and nurturing school change through systems-thinking approaches. These ideas are expressed in a chapter she recently co-authored "The Atelier: A System of Physical and Conceptual Spaces" in In the Spirit of the Studio: Learning from the Atelier of North America (2005). Lori is the parent of two sons, Maxwell and Sam, both of whom became b’nai mitzvah by Rabbi Susan Talve, whose vision has inspired Lori and others to work toward a vision similar to that of JECEI.
Trixie Levy
Trixie Levy was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she currently lives with her two children. She has degrees in Educational Psychology and School Management and has participated in NAEYC conferences, Reggio Emilia Study Groups, Documentation Seminars, and Project Zero. Trixie has also worked as both a bilingual kindergarten teacher and a “pedagogista,” before founding her own school (Puertabierta Kindergarten). This school includes a Nest (Nido) for children age 3 to 18 months, and a Kindergarten for children ages 2 to 5. The school aims to provide quality education for young children, and this goal is achieved through ongoing assessment, study, and professional development. Trixie assists and supports teachers, works with families, and participates in the pedagogical practice of the school. In addition, she works as an Educational Psychologist in a Jewish school.
Candice Percansky
For thirty years, Candice Percansky’s professional experience has included early childhood program design and implementation, staff development, consultation, administration, clinical work with young children and families, faculty for graduate early childhood education, and supervision of early childhood/mental health consultants. She has developed both intervention and training programs for staff serving young children and families throughout the U.S. and internationally. She helped develop the Consultation Institute at the Virginia Frank Child Development Center of the Jewish Family and Community Services in Chicago for the Jewish early childhood community and Greater Chicago. She has authored several publications in the area of supporting developmental outcomes in young children and families through strengthening relationships with children, families, and staff. In recent years, she also designed and implemented a multidisciplinary arts integration program for early childhood. Candice holds a BS degree in child and educational psychology and an MA in early childhood special education. Her particular interests have been in the social and emotional development of young children; children at risk; supporting child and family relationships; staff development in reflective practice and supervision with interdisciplinary teams, and consultation to emerging community programs
Leah Sanders
Leah Sanders, MA, is a member of the administrative-faculty in the University of Nevada Department of Human Development and Family Services (HDFS). Her work is particularly focused on facilitating early childhood programs and schools as they work to create unique-to-place programs inspired by the principles and social-constructivist practices of the municipal preschool and infant toddler centers of Reggio Emilia, Italy. She provides coaching and training in the 15 classrooms of the Child and Family Research Center. She has been a classroom teacher in California, adjunct faculty at UNR, consultant to the Washoe County Schools including Head Start, and the director of the early childhood (3-6 years) program at the American School of Barcelona, Spain. She is a consultant, facilitator/trainer and speaker. She is bilingual (Spanish/English), a certified WestEd PITC trainer, and the founder of Collaboration Partners a collaborative network of consultants currently working with the Easter Seals program in San Francisco.
Alise Shafer
Alise Shafer, MA, is the founder and director of Evergreen Community School in Santa Monica, CA where she and her faculty make extensive use of documentation as a source of data for their classroom research on children's construction of knowledge. She is a contributing author in the book, Teaching and Learning: Collaborative Exploration of the Reggio Emilia Approach, Prentice Hall, 2001. Alise also teaches at UCLA Extension and several local colleges and universities. She speaks at conferences throughout the United States and abroad. Alise has visited Reggio Emilia six times
Sonya Shoptaugh
Sonya Shoptaugh is a designer and educational consultant who works around the country supporting innovative early childhood initiatives. She helped to start the Model Early Learning Center (MELC) in Washington D.C. for low income families located at the Capital Children's Museum. MELC became the only school in the world to have been officially accredited by Reggio Children, Italy. Sonya was hired by the Ohio Department of Education to work with public schools and collaborate in the process of creating and supporting the development of study groups located in all regions of the state. She was the artistic director for the creation of Where Ideas Learn to Fly, an Ohio exhibit based on the work of the study group and the rich experiences of children, families and teachers. The exhibit is now on tour promoting educational exchanges in communities across the state. Being the daughter of a game inventor, Sonya has a passion for promoting the creative spirit. She is a photographer, dancer and musician. She has co-authored numerous articles and is currently working on a book about her experiences in Washington D.C. entitled, Belonging to Hope. Sonya lives in Manhattan and upstate New York with her husband, Claude Stein, a musician and vocal coach, and their cat, Coco, an expert mouse catcher.
Ilene Vogelstein
Ilene Vogelstein began her early childhood Jewish education career ten years ago as a kindergarten teacher at the Rosenbloom Religious School at Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore. From there she became the Coordinator of the Mechinah (kindergarten and first grade) Program at Chizuk Amuno. Five years later she became the Director of Machon L' Morim: Bereshit, the first intensive professional development school change initiative for early childhood educators. Ilene established the Jewish Early Childhood Education Partnership (JECEP), a fixed term organization that launched the national advocacy campaign for the importance of early childhood Jewish education. Following her tenure as Director at the Jewish Early Childhood Education Partnership, Ilene established the Early Childhood Department at CAJE. She is currently the Director of Special Projects for CAJE Early Childhood Department. Ilene also serves as a board member of the Darrel Friedman Institute for Jewish Communal Services, and a board member of the national B’nai Brith Youth Organization.
Patricia Voloschin-Weiner
Patricia Voloschin-Weiner has a varied professional background. She has been recognized for excellence in the profession of clinical consultation and family therapy in hospital, schools, child welfare agencies, and private practice. Her work assisting children, adults, and family units has followed a Family Systems approach and has been innovative in utilizing a wide range of therapeutic skills. Patricia has been active in offering training and consultation to professionals and non professionals alike. She has participated on numerous educational staffings on behalf of her clients and has served as a consultant to teachers and social workers within the Chicago Public School system. Patricia has been involved in numerous task forces and advisory boards relating to mental health issues and education. In addition to her professional commitments, Patricia has been very active in her volunteer work which has focused almost exclusively in helping to advance the Jewish Community. As an individual and mother, Patricia has been driven and continues to be inspired by Jewish values and principles. Her husband Mark is a graduate of the Wexner Fellowship Program and President and CEO of the largest Jewish Federation Affiliated Agency in Chicago, the Council for Jewish Elderly. Intergenerational programs are a big interest of both. Patricia grew up in Argentina where her family still resides. She holds a Masters of Arts degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University and Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is a licensed Social Worker and licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Illinois.
Dr. Naama Zoran
Dr. Naama Zoran is a developmental psychologist, working as a consultant for 24 years. She initiated different projects in Israel including: establishing core curriculum for 2 years old, establishing an Early Childhood program in a College in Northern Israel and bringing the Reggio Emilia Approach to Israel. Naama has developed unique models for consultation and works in Israel and the USA with different settings. She presents regularly at the NAEYC Annual Conference and the NAEYC Institute for Professional Development. Naama lives in Haifa, Israel with her husband and four children.
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