Temple Emanu-El ECEC Gains the International Baccalaureate PYP Accreditation

Mazel tov to the Early Childhood Education Center for being approved for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program.

“This is a massive accomplishment and our school has been through an extremely rigorous process over the past three years to achieve this authorization,” says Kelsey Winocur, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for ECEC. “We are now part of a global community of educators known for their dedication to learner agency, developing critical thinking, supporting play-based inquiry and international mindedness.

To join the nearly 6,000 schools who share this distinction, ECEC participated in four phases: a consideration phase; request for candidacy; candidate phase, and request for authorization.

As part of the process, ECEC evaluated its program and implemented several updates to enhance its already-strong curriculum. Among those changes:

1. Created the school’s first pedagogy team to support educators and serve as liaison to enhance educator voices and collaboration.
2. Wrote the school’s first Strategic Action Plan and revised each year for the past three years.
3. Restructured organizational leadership to improve school governance.
4. Wrote or revised school policies to best support the IB program initiatives and best communicate with all school stakeholders.
5. Restructured school schedule to provide opportunities for IB Primary Years Program (PYP) planning and collaboration.
6. Created and enhanced a culture of educator collaboration – including educator cluster teams and specialists.
7. Designed, conducted, and facilitated over 150 hours of training for staff.
8. Facilitated a culture of international mindedness throughout the school by promoting the learner profile, recognizing and celebrating all cultures represented within our school and hosting the school’s first International Festival.
9. Designed and held the school’s first IB art show.
10. Engaged in several tikkun olam service work initiatives which reflect our Jewish values and our global perspective on humanitarian efforts. This included a school-wide recycling initiative.

“We achieved all of this while maintaining our beautiful philosophy of children and supporting a loving, gentle, positive, play-based, child-centered environment,” Kelsey says. “Thank you for respecting all of our children, honoring their many capabilities, partnering with them and their families, and helping us achieve IB authorization!”