Directors and educators from around the world joined together last Friday morning for the Annual CECE Day of Inspiration, Ideas and Camaraderie organized by The Shluchim Office. Shluchos had the opportunity to learn from each other’s work while gaining chizuk and practical ideas for running their Chabad Preschool.
As one Shlucha put it: “I wait all year for this – to sit together with fellow colleagues and just talk preschool. I learned so much in these few hours of being with so many incredible directors.”
This year’s theme was: Making Shabbos Meaningful: Beyond the Shabbat Party. The session was presented by Mrs. Chanie Baron, director of Gan Israel Preschool in Columbia, MD, and arranged by Mrs. Mrs. Devora Krasnianski, director of CECE Network at The Shluchim Office.
Participants explored ways to make Shabbos even more meaningful to their students and their families. One of the topics they explored was candle lighting. How the act of lighting Shabbos candles brings peace and sholom bayis into the home, and how the time of lighting is an eis ratzon to ask Hashem for things that we need.
They discussed how to bring these experiences and connections to the children. During the school day on Friday, the children can be encouraged to share what they want to daven for – those in our class who were sick that week, for the new sibling of a classmate, etc. Once the candles are lit, the children can say Shabbat Shalom to the children sitting next to them and to the whole class. Then, they might put their hands on each other’s shoulders and sing a song of peace like Shalom Aleichem or Sim Shalom, of course with an understanding of the meaning of the song.
It is crucial to the children’s Jewish development and identity to share Jewish experiences with their families. Children must see that Judaism is important to their parents, and it is not just something that they do in school. Additionally, having shared experiences gives them something that they can speak about together. We shared ideas of shared experiences: Grandparents Day as a Shabbat Fair with lots of booths depicting different aspects of Shabbat, including a beautifully set table, Challah baking, delicious Shabbat foods; Tot Shabbat; Mini Challah Bakes and more.
All in all, the participants gained a new perspective about how we might help children really connect to the spirit of Shabbat and its centeredness in Jewish life. They left inspired to review their Shabbat programs and re-evaluate what nuanced changes they might bring into their programs.
Since 2007, the CECE Network has served as the central resource for Chabad preschools, helping the directors make their organization the preeminent choice within their community. Among its many services, the CECE Network provides an online forum, annual and regional conferences, a peer review system, online workshops, conference calls, seminars, articles, and guided online discussion groups. For more information about CECE, click here.
