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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Denver/Boulder & Chicago 2018

The  Community Learning Exchange (The Exchange)

by Kari Saratovsky, Principal  Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC


This week marks the launch of the Community Learning Exchange (The Exchange), a dynamic program bringing together a peer-learning cohort of ECE educators from the Denver/Boulder and Chicago communities to focus on improving educators skills as facilitators of learning.  Jewish ECE programming in the Denver/Boulder and Chicago communities is at an exciting inflection point. The opportunity to connect these two communities at two different stages of growth not only elevates the importance of Jewish ECE in these communities, but also enables ECE educators and directors to learn with and from one another, build new skills, and enhance their networks. The initiative is a significant step toward building lasting infrastructure designed for ECE learning and collaboration, and building multi-city partnerships that can strengthen both the local and national ecosystems.

Working in close coordination with JEWISHcolorado (Denver/Boulder) and Jewish United Fund (Greater Chicago area) leadership, Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies will lead the design and development of the Exchange. The program brings together ten ECE educators from each city, each of whom has a minimum of five years of classroom experience, demonstrates a growth mindset, and is open to learning new skills and approaches. The program has been designed with the explicit purpose of:

1.    Expanding knowledge and facilitating learning between the two communities;
2.    Building participants’ pedagogical skills; and
3.    Sharing lessons throughout the process with the field.

The program is anchored by two in-person city gatherings – the first in Denver/Boulder in April, and the second in Chicago later this fall, and will facilitate meaningful participant interaction including knowledge sharing, site visits (to expose participants to innovative models within and outside the Jewish world), and small-group peer learning. In addition to focusing on educators, the program will also engage directors from each of the participating schools to help foster and reinforce shared learning across the institution, and provide ongoing leadership development. Monthly virtual meetings will be held in between the in-person gatherings to help reinforce what was learned and encourage participants and their program directors to engage in “Applied Learning” exercises and reflections.  

The program is made possible through generous support from Rose Community Foundation and the Jim Joseph Foundation. 

For additional information about The Exchange, please contact Kari Saratovsky, Principal of Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies at kari@thirdplateau.com

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