Faculty

We want to share with you the exciting professional development journey that our Early Childhood Department is on. Kim Krikorian, a long-time Preschool teacher at PJA, is one of 30 early childhood educators chosen from across the nation to participate in the Sheva Center Leadership Institute for Early Childhood Professionals, a multi-year initiative operated by the JCC Association of North America. 

Last month Kim had the opportunity to travel with the Sheva Leadership Institute Cohort on an international study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy. She attended seminars and visited schools around the municipality to study The Reggio Emilia Approach to children, families, educators, and the environment. This research-based, thoughtful and reflective approach is a model for how we, as educators, might think about our own context. It helps us to explore our own school, considering the needs of children, families, and educators in order to build a body of pedagogical thought and practice permeated by Jewish values. 

Kim expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of this valuable experience. “For me, this will be a trip that I will continue to unpack for a while. There are endless possibilities in the work we do with young children here at Portland Jewish Academy. I know that as a community we believe in the rights of children, the right to a future, the right to play, the right to an education, the right to explore beauty, and their rights to build relationships. I would love to see our community further explore these ideas through a Jewish lens.”