About Us

Our Mission

The Diane K. Trust Center for Early Education of Temple Ohabei Shalom (TCEE) is a cheerful, sun-filled, state-of-the-art facility in a historic building, supported by Boston’s oldest congregation. Through discovery, exploration, and wonder, our emergent, play-based curriculum provides children plentiful opportunities to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and allows each child to grow at their own pace. We are a neighborhood program, dedicated to creating an environment that nurtures relationships among families and builds a welcoming and meaningful Jewish community.

We offer extended hours and flexible schedules in order to address the needs of modern working families. Busy parents can feel confident about leaving their children for a full day under the attentive supervision provided by our warm and nurturing teachers and staff.

Our Goal

The Diane K. Trust Center for Early Education (TCEE) of Temple Ohabei Shalom provides the building blocks for each child to develop a love of learning that will serve as the foundation for their personal journey of discovery and wonder. Your child will participate in a program of individualized activities, anchored in the developmental stages and needs of young children, in a nurturing Bayit (home)-like setting created by a team of caring and dedicated professionals, all within an inclusive community that encourages Jewish identity and respect for social values.

Our Philosophy

TCEE supports the growth of young children through a developmental, play-based curriculum that recognizes and addresses the individual needs (social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and cognitive) of students, and creates opportunities to allow each child to grow at their own pace. At the Trust Center, we borrow from the best of many schools of early educational thought, including Reggio-Emilia and Montessori, to provide children with a well-rounded program that meets the distinct needs of every learner.

Our highly qualified, nurturing teaching staff is able to take advantage of our low student/teacher ratios to carefully get to know each child’s strengths, interests, and areas for growth. While we work carefully to weave appropriate pre-academic skills into our daily play-based curriculum, we also understand that social and emotional growth are equally important areas of early learning, and devote a significant amount of our time to helping students develop these key skills.

We also strive to build partnerships with parents by creating open and easily accessible channels of communication between parents, teachers, the TCEE Director, and synagogue clergy and staff.

Our Team

Director of Early Education

  • Anna has been active in the field of progressive early childhood education for nearly fifteen years, in both New York City and the Boston area. She has experience in teaching and teacher supervision, emergent curriculum development, progressive Jewish education, school leadership, and expertise in the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education. Anna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from Barnard College and a Master of Fine Arts degree in English and Writing with a focus on Children’s Literature from the City College of New York. In 2018 Anna completed her Early Childhood Education Director II Level certification through Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University and the MA EEC. Anna previously taught at the JCC Manhattan Saul & Carole Zabar Nursery School in New York City, and most recently served for two years as the Executive Director of The Family Cooperative, a Reggio Emilia inspired early childhood center in Watertown, MA. Anna lives in Brookline with her husband, Nick, who is a play therapist and the school counselor at the Advent School, and Owen, her energetic three-year-old son. Anna previously worked at TCEE, where she was a teacher, curriculum specialist, and afternoon program coordinator between 2016 and 2020, and is grateful to be back at the wonderful TOS community as Director of Early Education. Her philosophy of education holds that young children come to us with their own ideas, experiences, and questions about the world and that we are their guides in turning those questions into deep inquiries and learning opportunities–TCEE is a place in which this happens on a daily basis.

TCEE Assistant Director

  • Emma stepped into the role of TCEE Assistant Director in 2022 after a year as TCEE Toddler Coordinator. Before coming to TOS, she spent 7 years as a toddler teacher at the Brookline-Brighton JCC ELC. She graduated from Brandeis University in 2013 with a degree in Sociology and has been working in early education classrooms ever since. Her favorite activities in the classroom are the ones that get the children involved in nature: gardening, exploring bugs and animals, and incorporating natural materials into play. Watching kids grow and learn to be independent, confident people gives her endless joy. In her free time, Emma enjoys trying out new recipes, walking in the woods, and learning new art skills. She lives in Brighton with her wife and their two cats.

Learning Specialist

  • Edye began her journey at The Trust Center for Early Education as a preschool teacher in 2011. After the birth of her son, Edye returned to TCEE in a dual role of Learning Specialist and a parent of a child in the school. As an educator it has always been an important part of her philosophy that children’s social and emotional development are imperative to their growth and well-being. Edye’s role in our school has many facets to it, including supervising preschool classroom teachers or helping to develop strategies for different children’s learning styles. Edye works in classrooms on a weekly basis, doing “small group work” that emphasizes concepts such as how to be part of a group, recognizing their own as well as others feelings, and learn tools to help handle some of the big emotions. Another important part of her role is supporting families at home whether it’s answering questions about child development or helping parents problem solve behaviors at home by creating materials that encourage positive behavior, or sending articles to parents. Edye feels so fortunate to work in such a diverse and welcoming community, as well as being parent alumni whose child thrived at TCEE. Edye lives in Needham with her husband and son and enjoys playing sports, going to music concerts, inviting friends over to BBQ and watching reality TV.

Administrative & Afternoon Coordinator

  • Emma graduated from Boston University with an EdM in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Counseling in 2017. As a child mental health intern, she worked closely with classroom preschool teachers and discovered a passion for social and emotional learning and teaching. Since then, she worked as a preschool teacher full-time for many years before moving into an administrative role this year. She enjoys learning every day from the trials and triumphs of working with young children!

    Before she became an early educator, Emma worked with youth of many ages, stages and backgrounds. In the past, she has been an after-school teacher for teenage immigrant and refugee students in Vermont, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at a university in Brazil, and a teacher-counselor for local adolescent girls in residential treatment. She draws on these many experiences to build positive relationships with children during the most important time of their lives: early childhood. She looks forward to caring for and learning with the TCEE community. Outside of the classroom Emma enjoys playing soccer, cycling, gardening and reading.

Music Educator

  • Joshua Cohen is beyond excited to continue with the Temple Ohabei Shalom family this year as the Music Educator! Josh grew up in Northern California going to Jewish camps and participating in youth group activities. Before he knew it he had fallen in love with Jewish music, playing guitar, and singing. Over 15 years later, he is excited to bring his love of spiritual music to TOS. The last few years he has been fortunate enough to be a Songleader for BBYO, which has allowed him to travel the country spreading ruach to Jewish young adults. He has been living in Boston for several years now and has been involved with a variety of Temples in the area, but now is very happy to finally find a home with TOS.

Agurim Teacher

  • Alisa grew up in the Liberal Jewish youth movement in London and at the age of 19 moved to Israel to live on the Reform Kibbutz Lotan for 16 years. She moved to the States with her husband and two children in 2002. She gets a deep satisfaction sharing her love and knowledge of Hebrew, Israel and the Jewish holidays and traditions in the day to day school life.

    Alisa is also a certified yoga instructor who also leads many yoga classes in different preschools in the area. She enjoys integrating these skills into her classroom learning through yoga and movement, seeing, touching, listening and singing. She strongly believes that using all of these senses will help develop many aspects of a child’s mind, body and spirit.

Yonim Teacher

  • Andrew graduated from Bridgewater State University in 2021 with degrees in History and Education. He loves working with kids and worked with toddlers for over a year in Maine. He is excited to continue working with toddlers at TCEE! He also worked for 3 years at a Girl Scouts summer camp in Plymouth and plans to continue working with children, specifically toddlers, for many years to come.

Barvazim Teacher

  • Andrea is very excited to start the new year. She has been working with kids since 2013 and thinks it has been one of her best decisions in life. Being around kids and being able to teach them and get to know them by who they are is just amazing and unique.

Atelierista & Herons Teacher

  • Bret joined the TCEE teaching staff in 2015. He is from a small mountain town in Pennsylvania where he went to Mansfield University and studied art education and worked with students from preschool to 12th grade. He has worked previously in preschools as an art and general education teacher. He looks forward to exploring the ideas of the world and our communities with students.

Yanshufim & Owls Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Yonim Teacher

  • Cameron is elated to be joining the TCEE family for a second year this year! They have been teaching infants and toddlers for four years. They graduated with their associates in early education in 2019 and are currently applying to complete their bachelor’s degree. They grew up in New Jersey and have been teaching on the west coast until this year, when they moved to Boston to help their sister with their new baby! They love to hike, read, play music, sew and be outdoors whenever possible in their spare time. Most importantly, they love being able to help their students feel supported, joyful and challenged throughout the year.

Yanshufim Teacher

  • Caroline was born and raised in Boston. A graduate of Bridgewater State University with a BS in Psychology, she also completed her Early Childhood Education Director II level certification. Caroline has over a decade of work experience in Early Childhood Education and thoroughly enjoys young children. In her spare time, Caroline appreciates all that Boston has to offer, traveling and spending time with her friends and family.

Nesharim Teacher

  • Cass is originally from the Lake Erie area of Pennsylvania and attended Westminster College where she majored in neuroscience and minored in fine arts. After graduating she moved to Boston and completed a service year with Americorps in the Urban Education program. She attended Boston University where she earned her Master’s in Special Education with concentrations in administration and general disability studies. She also has experience in ABA. In her free time she enjoys reading, knitting, and working out!

Substitute Teacher

  • Christina graduated from The University of Hartford in May 2023 with her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has lived in Connecticut her whole life, so she decided to move to Massachusetts this year and continue her education at Boston University. She will be a full time student there this year and working to earn her Masters degree in Reading Education.

    Being new to the state, she wanted to find a work community with similar ideals and goals within education that aligned with her own, and that’s how she ended up here! She is so excited to start this year at TCEE. She knows she has lots of room to grow and has new things to learn and master, and she is excited to do that here this year.

Yonim Teacher

  • This is Colleen’s fourth year at TCEE. It was in college, when she was part of the Jumpstart program, that she discovered her love for working in early education. Colleen went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Merrimack College. After college she worked at a childcare center in Dedham and for the Milton Public Schools. When not in school she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Yanshufim Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Barvazim Teacher

  • Hannah graduated from Brookline High School in 2015 and from Lasell College in 2019 with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been working with children in various preschool, elementary school, and day camp settings for the past 9 years. She enjoys working with children because she can watch them make connections between themselves and their world.

Nesharim Teacher

Tukim Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Float Teacher

  • Kenia Ferreira is certified to work with infants and toddlers, with seven years of experience, in addition to working with the Montessori methodology and teaching the Spanish language. She was also a student of plastic arts and business administration in the Dominican Republic. She studied Early Childhood Education at Urban College. She currently lives with her family in Allston, MA. She has a son who is 24 and he is studying to be a doctor in Medico. She also has a daughter who is 16 and she wants to be an artist. She has a beautiful cat named Lion. She likes country life, and is passionate about reading, arts, and cooking in her free time. She likes working with children because it is the purest and most beautiful feeling for a human being. She wants to continue learning spontaneity from them.

Agurim Teacher

  • Lisa has taught at preschool programs in Somerville and Brookline after earning an MEd in early childhood education from Lesley University. She also holds a BA from McGill University and worked as a researcher before taking the big step of becoming a teacher. She loves getting to know preschoolers and their families, and helping the children grow and learn over the course of the year. Her favorite things outside of school are reading, walking her dogs, and most of all spending time with her two daughters.

Barvazim Teacher

  • Makayla loves music, outdoor activities, and reading. She just finished a year of service through Americorp in Newark, NJ and absolutely adored her kids despite getting placed in a middle school over an elementary school, which was definitely out of her comfort zone! It ended up being a really rewarding experience for her and she learned a lot about herself and teaching. She loves going for walks especially on the beach and cozying up with a good mystery book at the end of the day. She loves most genres of music and played the clarinet and saxophone throughout her middle school and high school years. She is excited for this year and looks forward to all the good things to come!

Yanshufim & Owls Teacher

  • Melanie can’t wait for her second year with TCEE! After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education and applied linguistics from Washington University in St. Louis, she spent a year working at the Brighton branch of the Boston Public Library. Now she is excited to grow and learn along with her TCEE kids! Originally from Las Vegas, NV, Melanie spends her free time exploring the Boston area, taking care of her houseplants, and surviving the long winter.

Parrots Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Pedagogista & Tukim Teacher

  • Priscilla graduated from Boston College with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Studio Art, and her teaching practice is influenced by inclusivity, developmental psychology, and emergent curriculum. Her favorite part about working with children is truly listening to them and helping nurture their innate creativity and desire to learn. She has been teaching for nine years, and she is currently working towards her Master’s in Developmental Psychology through CUNY. In her free time, Priscilla enjoys reading and playing with her cat Gus.

Agurim & Herons Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Tukim & Parrots Teacher

  • Sarah is excited to return to TCEE for her fourth year, with this being her third as a Toddler Teacher. Her first year she was the HomeBASE Director working with students from the Brookline Public Schools. Prior to that, she was the Youth and Families Director at the YMCA of Greater Boston working with children and families of various backgrounds. Sarah first knew she enjoyed working with children when she was the Program Coordinator for Charles River Center. During her time at Charles River Center, she was working with children and adults with disabilities and was also the liason between the organization to Special Olympics Massachusetts. Sarah’s goal at TCEE is to help children by giving each child the building blocks to develop a love for learning. Sarah believes in allowing each child to choose their own path while gently guiding them along the way.

Float & Herons Teacher

  • Bio coming soon!

Nesharim Teacher

  • Selina is very excited to join TCEE for this school year! She has three years of experience in leading a preschool and after-school program. Having worked closely with ESL and I.E.P. students, she has a passion for making education accessible and enjoyable for all her students.

    Selina is originally from Portland, Oregon. While studying at Portland State University, she volunteered with youth programs in Women’s Resource Centers and safe shelters. She went on to work administration support with Planned Parenthood, where she worked closely with their Teen Council program. Selina came to Massachusetts and felt a connection to the communities in Boston. She has experience as an in-home tutor during Online Schooling and as an RBT, having worked extensively with BPS.

    In her spare time, she likes to paint, crochet, bake, and garden. She is always starting new projects and loves to send homemade gifts to her family across the states, and across the pond!

Nesharim Teacher

  • Taylor Goodwin is very excited for his second year as a TCEE teacher. Taylor graduated from Skidmore College in 2020 with a degree in Theater, with a passion for creativity and encouraging others to have fun and be themselves. He has spent his last 7 summers working in Maine at Camp Micah with the youngest campers, and is looking forward to continuing that work over the year in an academic environment.

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant

  • Deena graduated from The Bank Street College of Education with an MS in Child Life in 2004. She worked with children and families in a variety of different hospital settings including the Emergency Department, the Intensive Care Unit and long-term rehabilitation units. Deena currently lives in Brookline with her husband and children. After being a stay-at-home mom to her 5 children she returned to work as a Lead Teacher in a toddler classroom. Deena is really excited about stepping into the role of the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant at TCEE because it allows her to use her training and experience in supporting children and families and apply it to the Preschool setting that she loves!