Bet Shalom Yeladim in 2026 — Bet Shalom Congregation

By Iris Mascio with Eric Bressler

Bet Shalom Yeladim (BSY) is now in its 22nd year of existence, and you’ve been the Director for almost five years. Since you started, what things have changed and what has stayed the same?

Especially in the past year we have become much more involved in the Bet Shalom synagogue and with its members, bringing in resources from the wider educational community for the benefit of our teachers, the kids, and the families. Last year we launched monthly intergenerational programming with Bet Shalom seniors. They read stories to the kids and play games with them. The children have really enjoyed this and look forward to spending time with the seniors.

We have developed a great working relationship with Washburn Center for Children, a community-based mental health care agency. Tyler Davis, who is part of the Childhood Outreach Program, has been coming regularly to do training with the teachers and host “Community Conversations” for parents and families to discuss early childhood topics.

We have established and refined our “Letter of the Week” curriculum, improved our monthly Jewish values teachings and focused not only on academic readiness for kindergarten but specifically on developing and nurturing social emotional intelligence.

What has not changed is that we continue to be a small community of teachers, children, and families who value early childhood education and believe in its importance. We still have the most caring and devoted teachers and families who collaborate with us as educational partners.

Are there opportunities for Bet Shalom congregants to help out with BSY?

Absolutely! Email me at iris.mascio@betshalom.org or Brett Thominutt, Assistant Director at BSY, at brett.thominutt@betshalom.org, if you are interested in volunteering. Here are some things you can do:

Take care of and play with infants
Hold infants
Read books with toddlers and preschoolers
Play games with preschoolers such as “Simon Says” or “Hide and Seek” in the large motor area
Help with walks around the synagogue
Help with art crafts

Who in the community sends their children to BSY? Is it open to non-members of Bet Shalom?

It is open to all, members and non-members, with or without a Jewish background. Roughly 75% of our families are members of Bet Shalom, but we do not ask families if they identify as Jewish. Some families join Bet Shalom after they have enrolled their child in BSY.

BSY net revenues are a fairly significant part of Bet Shalom's budget. Do you think that will continue to be the case and why?

As far as I've been told, I do see it continuing. Enrollments are currently stable and are predicted to stay that way for the next year. We don't have a wait list as of right now, and there are still openings in the toddler and preschool rooms. Our tuition has increased in the last two years to accommodate the rising costs of materials and to provide consistent yearly cost of living adjustment raises to our staff.

We also benefit from state grants, mainly in the form of the Great Start Grant.

We try very hard to use our money wisely and in the most advantageous way, investing in teacher training, materials, and supplies for the classrooms.

Is staffing stable?

Yes! That can be really hard to find in many early childhood centers, where turnover is high. We invest in our teachers, support them and believe in them. Brett and I work hard to be the biggest advocates for our teachers and cheerleaders for the children at BSY. We have heard from many teachers that they have never felt as supported and valued as they did at BSY. The majority of our teachers have been with us at least 2 years with some being here as long as 7 years.

Do you have any plans to change or improve BSY this coming year?

We plan to continue updating and improving our curriculum to best align with Kindergarten Readiness Standards as well as the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress, which is Minnesota's Early Learning Standards (found here (https://dcyf.mn.gov/partners-and-providers/child-care-and-early-learning/professional-development/ecips)). We will continue to expand our Intergenerational Programming and work on growing our relationship with the overall congregation of Bet Shalom.

We would love to create more programs that are open to the local community, especially to support children and families. Providing that space to have open conversations about early childhood development, sharing of ideas, and support for our families is an ongoing goal for us.

We will continue to find programs and training for our teachers on topics like inclusion, special needs, social-emotional regulation, and cognitive development.