Elana Raz has a magical way about her, she combines her passion for early childhood education with her unique understanding of what children need. Elana has a certificate in Education from the Levinsky College of Education in Tel Aviv, Israel and a Bachelor’s degree in the History of Theatre and Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew University.
Elana began her teaching career in Netanya, Israel at Gan Sigal. Over the past 11 years at Beth Shalom Early Learning Center, Elana has had the role as a Lead Educator who has taught infants, toddlers, three, and four year olds. Elana is a confident and patient educator. She always puts the child’s needs first. She is intuitive and creative. She uses a multi-sensory approach to learning with hands on materials. Her lessons are always tailored to the children’s interests. Elana loves to use recycled materials and to get messy. She believes in taking every day materials and using them for play and projects. Elana loves to incorporate Hebrew words and Bible stories into her every day classroom activities. Her classroom is filled with imagination, fun, and exploration.
One parent stated, “Elana always made learning fun for my son. She gave him chances to play with sand, get messy, and play. She understood that even if he would not sit for circle time, that he was still learning. I will always be thankful for the love and patience she showed my son.”
Elana lives in Squirrel Hill with her husband Ariel and her three children Omri, Keren, and Barak who are all graduates of the Beth Shalom ELC.
Beth Shalom Early Learning Center 