Elisheva Kirschenbaum
Head of School
Co-director of Chabad of Washington Heights, Elisheva has been a passionate and effective teacher for a decade plus. When her children became toddlers, she designed her vision of an ideal environment in which to teach them; including Hebrew-language, health-food-only, and influences from Reggio, Montessori and STEM. Partnering with like-minded parents and professional consultants, she developed Osher's program into a preschool, now the Osher Early Learning Center — which continues to grow and evolve.
Elisheva believes in infusing children with appreciation for spirituality, music, nature, and the arts; and providing plenty of verbal, mental, and physical stimulation, optimism, joy, and above all, love and connectedness; to each other and to our Jewish identity.
Elisheva earned an AAS in fine arts and a BEd from Michlalah Jerusalem.
Mirasha Moore
Lead Teacher/ Program Director
Mirasha joined the Osher family Fall 2017. She brings to Osher six years of early childhood teaching experience, as well as running a camp for children with special needs for six years. In the Summer of 2018, she spearheaded Osher's first ever summer camp program.
Trained in the Reggio Emilio philosophy, Mirasha is passionate about children having the freedom to express themselves through art and play experiences. She looks forward to providing opportunities to capture each child's strengths and passions.
Sara Kapps
Lead Teacher
Sara is completing her B.A. in Sociology with a focus in social work, and a minor in Jewish Studies at Hunter College. She has been working in childcare for five years, and began teaching (and learning!) at Osher Early Learning Center in January 2018.
Sara is passionate about being a support to her students as they use their imaginations, express themselves, grow their independence, extend their curiosity and treat each other with loving kindness.
Moriya Barber
Co-Teacher
Moriya is a Washington Heights resident and a proud new member of the Osher family. Originally from Oregon, Moriya is passionate about creating a warm, loving environment for children to learn and grow.
Before coming to Osher, she was a teaching assistant at Chabad Early Learning Center on the Upper West Side, and brings 4 years of early childhood experience to the school.
Moriya looks forward to being a steady and loving support to the children in their learning and growth.
Anna Schnur-Fishman
Administrator
Anna holds a B.A. in Linguistics from Brown University. She worked for several years in English-language educational assessment, and prior to that, worked in nonprofit arts administration. She is the co-author of two children's books on Jewish themes.
Anna works on creating a classroom where imaginations run free, we learn with our whole bodies, and everyone feels loved. When found in the office, she is making sure our school runs smoothly and facilitating communication among parents, teachers, and administrators.
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