Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/focus-on-innovation/5024528/
We reached out to our networks—Exchange Strategic Partners, Exchange Leaders, World Forum Foundation members, Head Start, Child Care Providers and Directors—and asked them to share their stories of innovation... in administration, leadership, teacher education and classroom teaching. We were thrilled with the response and amazed by their ideas. We invite you to enjoy this super-sized Focus On, and hope that these examples of innovation will inspire your work and practice.
WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO FLORIDA AND accepted the job as director of the Early Childhood Learning Center at Temple Beit HaYam, one of my first goals was to seek accreditation. The financial commitment to obtain a national accreditation was too much of a barrier. So I began to search for accreditations within the State of Florida. As I scrolled down the list provided by the state, I found that there were many accreditations to choose from—but none of them were specifically Jewish. There was a need for a Jewish Early Childhood Accreditation. And this required innovation.
As I read through various accreditation materials, I found that many agencies focused on creating quality schools. I believed my school was already quality. In fact, I knew it was quality. ...