Supporting Early Childhood Education

Program: Education

Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten is possible because of global partnership. Since 2019, 1for3 has brought together Palestinian and US educators to build & support the development of child-focused learning. Together, they build curricula, teaching methods & new offerings of student support. Opened in 2021 & located on the ground floor of the Lajee Center in the UN-run Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, West Bank, Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten provides a pre-school education for children from two UN-run camps.

Data Points

  • There are two classes (soon three) of 25 children each: KG1 serves 4-year-olds; KG2 serves 5-year-olds.

  • It is a safe and secure place for children to learn about their world in a nurturing environment.

  • Five teachers and one director guide and support children to achieve academic, social, and creative competencies with a comprehensive program centered on nature, culture, and music.

  • A child graduating from the program is prepared intellectually and socially to enter primary school and to engage constructively with family and community.

  • Parents are encouraged to participate in the education of their child.

  • Classroom learning is supported by firsthand involvement in folk dancing, gardening, recycling, and health education.

  • An international advisory committee provides guidance on funding, construction, curriculum, and pedagogy.

  • It is the only kindergarten in Bethlehem that incorporates students with special needs into the standard classroom setting.

Integration & Support for Students

Palestine, like all locations in the world, has children who require special support to attend school. Zahrat Al-Yasmeen believes that all children should be in kindergarten. Some students at the school arrive traumatized by Israel’s military & settler violence. Others have developmental delay from birth. Teachers are trained to help students deal with traumatic episodes & an occupational therapist is a member of the Zahrat Al-Yasmeen staff. Nadine, a student pictured below, is a new student who has benefited from the support of both teachers & occupational therapist. She has autism & requires a different approach to enable her to integrate into the classroom. Nadine’s family’s situation meant that regular therapy was beyond their economic reach. However, at Zahrat Al-Yasmeen she is learning with other students. Teachers, family, therapist & Nadine came together to construct a therapeutic plan. The family had heard that the school offered these types of high-quality care & noted them as prime reasons for having their daughter attend. Now, with plan in hand, Nadine is on her way to learning & growing just like all the other students.

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Leadership

  • Beverly Wispelwey is an experienced teacher of 3-to-9 year-olds. Her particular educational work has been focused on teaching & curriculum development for 3-to-6 year-olds.

  • Hubert Murray is an architect with experience working on projects in the United States, Europe, Africa & the Middle East. His portfolio includes public housing, schools & colleges, highway infrastructure, university campus & healthcare planning & urban design. He has taught in London, Nairobi & Boston, & is a guest critic at schools of architecture in Boston. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
    With 1for3, a US-based non-profit organization, he has helped build & continues to support the Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten in Aida Refugee Camp in Palestine. Hubert also writes on architecture, the urban consequences of climate change & social issues. He works on art constructions in his back yard.

  • Katherine Hanna is an American-born Palestinian. She is a recently retired public school educator in Massachusetts with 26 years of experience in early elementary grades & literacy. She is co-founder of the Boston Palestine Film Festival where she volunteered for eleven years as film program curator & finance manager. Through her continued online presence @palestinefilm, she has helped to support new Palestinian film festivals & connect the community around the world. Since 2019, Katherine has been working with the education team of US based non-profit 1for3.org to build & support Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten in Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine. She collaborates with other US-based teachers & the Palestinian teaching team to support an innovative inclusive, play-based & trauma-informed curriculum. Katherine enjoys being a grandmother & traveling.

  • Magi Fatouleh is the director of the Zahrat Al-Yasmeen kindergarten. A lifelong resident of Beit Jala Magi brings years of experience in early childhood education to her work. As director, Magi has advanced a campaign to expand the size of the school, student enrollment, teacher training & diversification of the curriculum. It includes classroom-based and community-based activities & learning.

  • Merrie Najimy is an Arab American, veteran public school educator of over 30 years. She spent most of those years as an elementary school teacher in the Concord Public Schools, dedicating her career to developing anti-racist/anti-bias pedagogy, curriculum & teaching practices. She left the classroom from 2018-2022, to become the president of the 115,000 member Massachusetts Teachers Association. There she led the movement to transform the union into one that fights for racial, economic & gender justice & bargaining for the common good.

  • Betsy Abrams is a social worker, social activist & an American born Jewish woman of Ashkenzi heritage. She brings to this project passion, connection & decades of experience working with young children, their parents & teachers. Betsy works at the intersection of trauma, racism & resilience drawing upon the strengths of both community & individuals & their capacity for connection, compassion, creativity & healing.