PRESCHOOL | FAMILY CENTER | EVALUATION CENTER | MEET OUR STAFF
Gan HaMishpacha Family Center
A Family Center Embracing Children, Families, and Caregivers Through the Early Years
Meet Our Staff!
Darci Lewis, MA, DONA PCP (DONA),
CLC, Gan HaYeled Senior Educator & Gan HaMishpacha Director
Email Darci Lewis
Darci Lewis has had a wide array of experiences within the field of Jewish Early Childhood Education and within the world of Perinatal Support throughout Washington, DC and Maryland. She has degrees from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, having earned an M.A. in Jewish Communal Education. Darci is also a DONA-Certified Postpartum Doula and Lactation Consultant. Her work as a Postpartum Doula connects her with families during their prenatal and postpartum time, through prenatal classes, postpartum groups, and in-person support.
Darci is passionate about progressive values-based early childhood education. She has travelled to Reggio Emilia, Italy several times, attending Study Institutes and visiting their world-renowned schools. She believes all children deserve to be treated as competent, capable, and creative individuals. Currently, Darci is the Senior Educator of the Gan HaYeled at Adas Israel, and the Director of Gan HaMishpacha, the Family Center at Adas Israel. Darci also has her own perinatal support practice--Nurture Postpartum & Family Support, through which she provides individual family support through the perinatal cycle. Darci consults within the community, having served as a Curriculum Specialist, Art Studio Specialist, and Professional Development Trainer for many schools and institutions, both locally and nationally. Darci also played an active role in the Pedagogista Circle of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Darci lives in Maryland within her husband and three children.
Ellie Moses Schuchman,
Gan HaMishpacha Music Instructor
Ms. Ellie is the founder and lead teacher of Ms. Ellie Music, LLC. She was trained by Music Together LLC in 2006 and has been involved in early childhood music ever since. She is the music specialist at Ohr Kodesh Early Childhood Center (ECC), Tikvat Israel ECC, and Sherman ECC at Har Shalom, bringing more music into the classrooms and leading weekly Shabbat singalongs, Havdalah, as well as holiday celebrations. She also leads Tot Shabbat Friday night and Saturday morning services locally at Adat Shalom Congregation as well as for other groups in DC and New York.
Prior to her involvement in early childhood music, Ellie worked as a licensed clinical social worker with children and their families in various school-based and mental health settings. She has a BA in Psychology from Clark University and a MS in Social Work from Columbia University. She grew up in Takoma Park, MD, and was an active member of Habonim Dror and Camp Moshava, where she first developed her love of and ruach (spirit, in Hebrew) for singing and dancing as a camper, and then for many years, as a counselor and assistant camp director.
Michelle Shoham
Kangaroo Class Teacher
Michelle is the founder of Parentingetc., a coaching and consulting service that helps moms, dads, and other caregivers develop effective parenting skills, while also ensuring they enjoy their child’s wonderful and exciting early years. She has worked with parents of infants and toddlers for over 20 years, providing private and group consultation, education, and support. She uses her in-depth knowledge of the latest thinking and research on topics related to families and children—in the realms of cognitive, physical, emotional, and behavioral—to turn theoretical information into hands-on practice.
