Rachelle Zomick, the incoming preschool director at the Iris Berman Early Childhood Center, has a way of talking that makes anyone feel as if they’ve known her for years. Her warmth and positive outlook beckon people to sit and chat for a while—doesn’t matter if the person is three or 63.
It’s no wonder, then, that the parents and students of the preschool, which is part of the Suburban Torah Synagogue in Livingston, are eager for the new school year to start with Zomick at the helm. A resident of Teaneck, Zomick was tapped in June to replace outgoing, and much-beloved, preschool director Sue Kelin, who has been leading the preschool for 10 years.
“They’re huge shoes to fill,” admits Zomick. “Sue set a lot of positive things in motion and I really hope to keep it that way.”
Zomick comes to Suburban Torah having served as the director of the Preschool at Chabad of Fort Lee for the last four years and before that having worked at preschool programs at the Moriah School in Englewood and Lubavitch of the Palisades.
“I think it was my destiny to be a preschool teacher,” says the mother of three grown children. “My mother was a preschool teacher and my father was a music teacher. I just went into the family business,” she says with a chuckle. “It wasn’t intentional.”
Like any new director, Zomick has some ideas of things she wants to accomplish at the school. Some are cosmetic—like turning an unused room into a teachers’ lounge where staff can take a quiet much-needed break during the day—others are more curriculum based.
Noting that the school’s learning style is “Reggio-inspired,” Zomick believes that children learn better when they are actively engaged through real experiences. (The Reggio Emilia mode of preschool education was founded in Italy following World War II and focused on enabling children to experience life and to grow and to learn at their own pace through their interest and exploration.)
“If we give kids authentic experiences in the classroom and give them the opportunity to grow and build on the things they are exploring and observing, they will learn more about the properties of science, the physics of things, math skills and even how things work,” she says.
Zomick is also eager to see the school integrate more fully into the lives of the congregation and the greater Livingston community. For instance, she would like to see the children participate in chesed programs run by the synagogue and spending time visiting local places like nursing homes or the fire station.
“Community helps children grow,” the preschool director said, “and when there is collaboration and teamwork and support all around, the environment for children is safe and secure. We want them to know they have a valuable role in our world. So when the whole shul, the whole community is involved it makes an impact on them and builds their self-esteem.”
That dovetails perfectly with how the synagogue sees the preschool. As Rabbi Elie Mischel explains, “The Iris Berman Early Childhood Center at Suburban Torah is, without exaggeration, the ‘beating heart’ of our synagogue; the energy, joy and love for Judaism that pervade the school is inspiring to all of our members. It’s also a ‘community within a community,’ creating a space in which young families from Livingston and West Orange can form lifelong friendships.”
At the end of the day, Zomick doesn’t believe she’s there to change anything. Rather, she sees her goal is to take things to the next level: “I want the children to experience, to explore and just move forward and keep learning.”
To learn more about the Iris Berman Early Childhood Center at Suburban Torah, call (973) 994-2620.
By Faygie Levy
