Nick Shander. (Photo Courtesy of the Kaiserman JCC.)
With the start of the new school year, the Kaiserman JCC Early Learning Center is under new leadership. Nick Shander is the new director of teaching and learning for the JCC’s Early Learning Center, and he comes with extensive experience in education, not to mention experience in the exact place that he will now oversee.
“I was a student at the JCC preschool, and now I’m a director at the school, and a few of my teachers are still teaching here,” Shander said. “So, teachers I had when I was three or four years old, now I get to work alongside them and continue to support them and help out. I get to bring out the best in all the teachers and people that helped shape me as a young learner. It’s really good to be able to give back.”
For Shander, this opportunity came together thanks to his wanting to give his stepkids the same experience that he had at the Kaiserman JCC preschool. The preschool director ended up reaching out to Shander and mentioning that the team was looking for a new director of teaching and learning, and Shander, who was working as a special education teacher, knew that it was the right position for him.
“The timing was really great, and I’m really excited to be back where I kind of started my teaching career,” Shander said.
As he mentioned, Shander didn’t just attend the Kaiserman JCC Early Learning Center; he got his start in education at the school, too. Starting in his teen years, he began working various jobs at the JCC, following in the footsteps of family members. His grandmother worked at the front desk handling membership and payroll for four decades, while his uncle, dad and mom worked at the JCC as well.
“I always had that really strong cultural connection to Judaism and Jewish life through my participation at the JCC,” Shander said.
In Shander’s mind, working with the youngest age bracket of students is a wonderful opportunity. The job is different from that of a high school, middle school or even elementary school teacher, he said.
“What drew me to the early childhood field is that they’re so naturally inquisitive and such natural learners. The role of the teacher is different. I would describe the teacher as the expert of observing and documenting the learning that’s naturally occurring,” Shander said.
“From the moment a child is born … they’re just soaking everything in and absorbing everything that’s around them, and it’s our job to identify and share the learning processes with families and highlight all the great things they do every day.”
While Shander knows the hallways he will walk this upcoming school year, they aren’t the same as they were when he was a child. At the JCC, there are several new nursery classrooms. Shander said that’s important because “high-quality infant and toddler care” can be hard to find.
Shander said he is excited for the year to start. He said that this time of year moves quickly with school starting, the High Holidays and more, and he wants to make sure that he is ready to support the families who experience it. After all, he now knows what it’s like to be a parent, too.
“It’s really one of the greatest things I’ve ever been tasked with,” Shander said. “I knew I had the skills to be a parent just from my work with kids and training and background, but I never thought I would have the opportunity myself, and it’s been such a gift and a blessing.”
As the year begins, Shander will help create a “coaching model” that the school can use to identify individual goals for students and help students work toward them. There’s a lot of good already going on at the JCC, but Shander hopes to add even more. All in all, he can’t wait for the students to arrive.
“I’m ready to make a really positive impact,” he said.