The Billy Dalwin Pre-School of Temple Emunah is an inclusive Jewish developmental preschool that respects individual needs and abilities in the context of a caring learning community. Our goal is to provide active learning opportunities in a warm and engaging environment that foster positive Jewish identity, value the diversity of background and observance of our Pre-School families, and create a sense of kehillah for our children, families and staff. Judaic and secular curriculum are thoughtfully developed and presented in a holistic manner that is supported by developmentally appropriate activities that encourage full participation from each child.

Three years ago the Billy Dalwin Pre-School began the Magen Hagan accreditation process and in April of 2008 we proudly received our Magen Hagan Jewish Early Childhood Accreditation. Eleven local Jewish preschool programs have received this special accreditation that is administered by the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston. In order to receive Magen Hagan accreditation, schools must meet the following six criteria:
- Written statement of Judaic philosophy
- Judaic curricular guidelines that are implemented and documented
- Integration of lay and professional leadership
- Involvement and education of parents
- Employ qualified staff and provide Judaic professional development opportunities
- Evaluation

Our program entered the Magen Hagan accreditation process for several reasons. It represented a new area of growth for our staff and our school. It provided a useful structure for reflective teaching and for reexamining our Jewish programming. It supported our commitment to developmentally appropriate practice. And it seemed to follow a natural progression from our previous staff work on multiple intelligences, Jewish values and other Jewish themes, and the integration of Massachusetts Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences and skills into daily curriculum. A previously developed set of core values derived from Jewish mitzvot and middot and existing curriculum that integrated Judaic and secular learning served as the foundation for our new learning.

We found that the Magen Hagan accreditation process enriched our preschool in so many ways. It proved to be an incredible vehicle for professional development and team-building. The staff worked together to apply our existing skills to create curriculum that addresses a broader set of Judaic topics and themes. As part of that process we added to the Magen Hagan curriculum grid to develop a document that reflected the educational style and priorities of our program. Through our learning and our work together, teachers increased their comfort level and made this process their own. We expanded on themes such as t'filot that we presented and increased the number of family education events in each calendar year. Our children have benefited directly from this, engaging in classroom and family activities that offer a greater variety of dynamic and meaningful Jewish experiences. We have included parents as partners in our evaluation process, soliciting their input as we reflect upon our current Judaic curriculum and set the agenda for the future.

Throughout the accreditation process we were mentored by Naomi Chernin and supported by Rabbi Lerner, Rabbi Jacobs, other members of the Temple Emunah Senior Staff, Marsha Mirkin and our incomparable Billy Dalwin Pre-School Board of Directors. Just as they say that it takes a village to raise a child, we found that it takes a kehillah to achieve Magen Hagan accreditation. We can wholeheartedly say that the process has been worthwhile and it has resulted in a richer experience for the children, parents and staff of the Billy Dalwin Pre-School of Temple Emunah.