SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Congregation Beth El has announced that Danielle Hartwig will join the congregation in July as the next director of the Thelma K. Reisman Preschool. Hartwig joins Beth El from Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, where she most recently served as the curriculum and program coordinator in the synagogue’s Early Childhood Center, including management of its extended day program. Hartwig brings to Beth El more than a decade of experience and a wealth of classroom, curriculum design and administrative expertise, having taught at preschools and religious schools in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Israel, according to a release from the Beth El.
Beth El will hold a “Pops on the Playground” open house to introduce current and prospective preschool families to Hartwig on Sunday, May 15, from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m., rain or shine. The event will include ice pops, playing on Beth El’s playground and an outdoor classroom, and is free and open to the community.
Hartwig graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor’s degree in human development and she received her master’s degree from California State University/Northridge with an emphasis in early childhood education. In 2013, she was selected to the prestigious Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute, a collaborative study program that provides intensive professional development to Jewish leaders across the country.
“Danielle’s knowledge and experience, combined with her passion for Jewish early childhood education, and her warm and approachable style, make her a perfect fit for our community. We’re thrilled to have her at Beth El,” Beth El President Marilynn Jacobs said in the release.