Learn about the importance of intergenerational relationships and how it impacts children and adults alike!
Facilitated by Diana Ganger and Sharon Goldman
Diana Ganger is the Co-founder and Executive Director of IDEAL18NFP, an intergenerational initiative. She earned her B.A. in Social Work from Haifa University and her M.S.W. from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, specializing in Gerontological Social Work and Family Therapy. In 1979, in Israel, Diana implemented her first intergenerational program between a high school and the elder residents of a retirement home. Raised in Argentina, she grew up in an intergenerational relational culture.
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In 1985, Diana became the Director of the Moriah Early Childhood Center, where she created a nationally recognized model of a family-centered school, pioneering what she called a Family School. In the mid-1990s, she implemented an intergenerational program in an early childhood center, where grandparent figures regularly “adopt” and become “adopted” by classrooms, a program that continues to thrive.
In 2004, Diana became the Program Director of the Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative (JECEI), leading efforts to redefine how families and institutions can become co-visionaries and partners of excellence in education. She coaches and consults nationally and internationally as the Director of DG1818ConsultingLLC and as the Founder and Executive Director of IDEAL18NFP.
Sharon Goldman, JD began her journey as an educator as a Teach for America Corps member. Being witness to education disparity led her to complete her doctorate in law at the University of Illinois, and worked as a litigator in a large law firm. On a sabbatical to Israel, she researched value-based curriculum as a Dorot Fellow, attended seminary, and started her family. When she returned to the States, Sharon worked as an Educator, Assistant Director, and Documentation and Research Coordinator at Moriah ECC.
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Sharon is currently the Director of IDEAL18, facilitating the creation of high quality intergenerational programming and inclusion work through anti-ageism, and co-directing a national fellowship. She has published articles on intergenerational work and the importance of professional development in ECE. Sharon is also the Co-Founder of Within the Image, based on using the arts to promote Jewish identity and connection. Sharon was a mentor for JECELI Chicago Cohort 3, has facilitated numerous communities of practice and educator courses, and consults for schools throughout the country.