Meet Our Educators

Welcome! B’ruchim Haba’im!

Welcome to Temple Emanuel Preschool. Founded in 1937, we have been educating young children for over 70 years. Our school provides programs for students ages 15 months through 5 years. I am honored to be working with your children as they start their educational journey and begin their life-long love of learning and Jewish living.

Located within Temple Emanuel in the heart of Newton Center, we have a modern, fun, and safe environment for your child to imagine, explore and grow. We have a large indoor multi-purpose area dedicated to the preschool, our own playground and outdoor classroom and exploration area, as well as use of larger indoor Synagogue spaces. We celebrate Shabbat on Friday mornings together as a community and this quickly becomes the children’s favorite day of the week. It is truly a delight for me to get to watch your children shine and grow throughout the year.

B’Shalom, Stacey Shulman

Early Childhood Director

Meet Our Educators!

Stacey Shulman

Marissa Silberstein

Keisha Leslie

Debbie Kurtzman

Holly Darides

Dorothy Cohen

Kim Proulx

Talia Aviksis

Penina Scharf

Esther Beloff

Beth Glick

Stacey Shulman

Interim Early Childhood Director

Stacey Shulman has a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and has been teaching for over 20 years. She is delighted to be the Preschool Administrator supporting the children, families, and staff. Stacey has a passion for early childhood education. Stacey is married with three children and currently resides in Natick.

Marissa Silberstein

Adom/Red Room (Young 3’s)

Marissa Silberstein has been teaching preschool for over twenty years. She is excited to return to Temple Emanuel again and is thrilled to be part of the teaching staff this year. She received both her undergrad and graduate degrees in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University. Marissa is a certified toddler and preschool lead teacher. She currently lives in Chestnut Hill with her husband and daughter.

Keisha Leslie

Kachol/Blue Room (3’s and 4’s)

Keisha Leslie was born in Belize but grew up in Framingham, MA. Sheis a proud mommy to 2 beautiful children Gabriel, 9 years old and Nalah 5. In her free time, she enjoys decorating, painting and doing anything with interior design. Keisha and her husband enjoy comedy shows. Keisha has been a preschool teacher for over 12 years. Working with children is her passion. Knowing that the role of the educator plays a huge part in a child’s life is a driving force to be the best each day. Cultivating a space full of fun, love, and excitement to encourage learning is a goal. Keisha is full of energy, ready to meet your children and learn all about their personalities.

Debbie Kurtzman

Kachol/Blue Room (3’s and 4’s)

Debbie Kurtzman has been a teacher of three- and four-year-old children for over 20 years. She enjoys listening to the children and expanding on their ideas that are based on their questions and interests. Science, books and art activities are shared with the children during their explorations. She comes to school ready to learn something new every day! Debbie has a bachelor’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in Special Education-Hearing Impaired from Eastern Michigan University. She and her husband Jon raised their two daughters in Brookline. Debbie enjoys taking walks all year, especially around the Brookline Reservoir. She also enjoys gardening, cooking and exploring Massachusetts history.

Holly Darides

Sagol/Purple Room (Pre-K)

Holly Darides grew up in beautiful Vermont and attended college there as well. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Holly has called Massachusetts her home since 1997. She has been teaching in a variety of educational settings for many, many years and enjoys every day with little people. Holly likes spending time with her special family, friends, barbecuing, taking walks and being in nature. ~A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart! Holly looks forward to getting to know each child and family this year.

Dorothy Cohen

Katom/Orange Room (Young Toddlers)

Dorothy Cohen has a bachelor’s degree in Art History and a Masters in Elementary Education from Lesley University. This is her third-year teaching at the Temple Emanuel Preschool. Dorothy is a lead teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the classroom. She has a passion for working with toddlers and she believes it is such an important age and stage to build a bond with children while helping them grow and develop.

Kim Proulx

Katom/Orange Room (Young Toddlers)

Kim Proulx has been in the field of early childhood education for over twenty-five years, working primarily with toddlers for many of those years. She has an associate degree in ECE from the University of Maine, Farmington. A recent addition to Temple Emanuel, Kim is excited to become a part of the welcoming environment and to support each child through many toddlerhood adventures. She lives in Chelmsford with her husband, Brian and teenage daughter, Alex.

Talia Aviksis

Yarok/Green Room (Older Toddlers)

Talia Aviksis is excited to return to Temple Emanuel Preschool. She previously worked at the JCC for 8 years as a toddler and Hebrew teacher. Talia worked at Camp Grossman as the Jewlery Specialist in the summer of 2021. She loves working with children and sharing her passion for her culture and unique personalities through her teachings. Before Talia moved to the United States, she worked in grades 1-6 IDF (Israeli Army). Talia earned her Infant/Toddler/Preschool certificate through MassBay Community College and continues to further her career by taking child development classes.

Penina Scharf

Yarok/Green Room (Older Toddlers)

Penina Scharf joined Temple Emanuel Preschool in 2013. She brings a love of Judaism and an enthusiasm for helping children to blossom to grow. She enjoys guiding children as they strive to be independent learners and to accomplish new milestones. Penina has a BA from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago. She lives in Newton with her husband and three children.

Esther Beloff

Floater/Sub

Esther Beloff is a long-time member of Temple Emanuel. She has been teaching preschool for 40 years. She received her B.S. in education at the University of Hartford and her Master of Library Science with a specialty in children’s librarianship from the University of Rhode Island. She lives in Newton with her husband and has 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren. She loves to travel, put together jigsaw and crossword puzzles and read.

Beth Glick

Social Worker

Beth Glick joins us as part of our social emotional pilot program. Beth is a Social worker who also worked as an early childhood educator. She also worked at MGH as a clinical social worker and in the Lexington Public Schools as a school counselor and assistant principal. Beth is a musician who uses her love of music and singing in her work with children.

2024-25 Preschool Enrollment is now open!

Community

Shabbat & Prayer

Learning

Life Cycle Rituals

Music

Israel

Social Action

Meet Our Educators

Welcome! B’ruchim Haba’im!

Meet Our Educators!

Stacey Shulman

Marissa Silberstein

Keisha Leslie

Debbie Kurtzman

Holly Darides

Dorothy Cohen

Kim Proulx

Talia Aviksis

Penina Scharf

Esther Beloff

Beth Glick

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