Playtime is a critical tool for unleashing kids’ potential. Join us for an evening of expert perspectives, plentiful Play-Doh, and tips and tricks to use playtime to help kids fall in love with learning, and to fuel their academic and socioemotional growth. We’ll hear from Jenny Cloncs, Success Academy’s Associate Director of Literacy; Stacey Gershkovich, Managing Director of Sharing at the Robertson Center; Danique Day-Loving, Principal of Success Academy Harlem 1; and special guest Autumn Zitani, Senior Director of Content for Sesame Workshop. The event is free, open to the public, and great for parents, educators, and all those with a stake in raising happier, healthier kids!
Stacey is applying over 10 years of experience as a teacher, leader, trainer and curriculum expert to create and implement professional development programs for educators outside of the Success Academy network. After many years leading classrooms and schools, Stacey transitioned to the network team in 2013 to lead SA mathematics, science, and scholar talent program as Managing Director of STEM. Stacey received her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her Master's in Education from Pace University.
Jenny has more than a decade of teaching experience, and more than seven years of experience in leadership roles at Success Academy Harlem 3 and 4. As the Associate Director of Literacy, Jenny leverages her experience as a classroom teacher and school leader to develop curriculum, and manage the implementation of literacy instruction network-wide. Jenny graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from Ball State University.
Danique is principal of Success Academy Harlem 1. Before joining SA in 2007, Danique worked for Teach For America and went on to teach in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. A Harlem native, she is passionate about providing scholars in her old community with the necessary tools to succeed in the classroom and all the way through college. Danique received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke.
Autumn has been with Sesame Workshop for over 15 years and is responsible for the development and implementation of Sesame Street's whole child curriculum. Autumn oversees the implementation of the 49th season’s “Learning Through Play” curriculum that models how kids can build school readiness skills as they explore different roles during play. Autumn received her Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit sesameworkshop.org.
Something happens in a room full of educators. Ideas get bigger, barriers shrink, defy-the-odds notions feel downright within reach. We believe in these rooms — in the power of bringing together our country’s fiercest believers in the capacity of kids to help them set it free. At the Robertson Center, makers of magical classrooms find the content, conversation and community they need to accelerate their inspiring work.
Success Academy’s 47 free public schools serve over 17,000 K-12 students across New York City. These scholars — 76% of whom come from low-income households and all of whom are admitted by random lottery - are the highest performing in New York State.