The Goldsmith Early Childhood Center at Chizuk Amuno Congregation recently completed renovations that have been a year and a half in the making. The preschool has operated for 60 years, but the updates made to its lobby are designed to send it into the modern era with several new changes.
The Goldsmith ECC’s faculty held a donor reveal on Aug. 27 to mark the completion of the lobby’s renovations and to celebrate their progress with community members. Two days later, 132 preschool students entered the new space as the school year officially started.
“This incredible upgrade to our school will launch our preschool into the future and position us for continued growth and success in our community,” said Nancie Leibowitz, the Goldsmith committee chair.
The Goldsmith ECC has seen a surge in enrollment, inspiring the new renovations. The front office was completely moved, and the lobby now contains an indoor bike track and a wall containing several “book nooks” where students can read or spend quiet time.
Security was a major consideration for the new lobby. Goldsmith ECC previously received several security-related grants for buying new security cameras and updates to its security system, but the new lobby takes things a step further by adding a double-security entrance that serves as a visitor checkpoint.
“For parents, when they drop their children off, they’ll feel safe,” Goldsmith ECC Director Michelle Gold said. “There was already a lot of love for the school and curriculum. We had our parent orientation that evening after the donor reveal, and the looks on their faces and the excitement … they were just so wowed by it, as we were.”
The Goldsmith ECC was named for Harold Goldsmith in 1985, when his family contributed to a fund meant to enhance the building. Goldsmith died in 1991. His wife Beth and son Josh have continued to support the center through the Goldsmith Family Foundation, which helps fund educational opportunities.
“When [Josh] attended Goldsmith, he brought the traditions of Shabbat back into our home. To me, that was where it started,” said Beth Goldsmith, a former board chair of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, at the donor reveal event. “And that was where I wanted our legacy to be. So thanks to [Harold], and all the work he did all his life, he was successful enough to leave us in a position to be able to do great things.
“We couldn’t be happier that we are associated with great opportunities for children to have their first Jewish experiences and for them to take them into their homes, so that their families, their parents and everyone can be a part of the great community of Chizuk Amuno and its schools,” she continued.
The initial plan was to renovate both the lobby and classrooms, but Goldsmith ECC’s renovation project was later split into two phases. The center’s staff worked with Hord Coplan Macht Architecture, which has designed schools across the country, to design the lobby and new classrooms. Gold estimated that the latter will likely be built in the next two years.
Much of the work done on the building is thanks to the contributions of the Goldsmith community, including parents of students and alumni.
“Today is so much more than a new lobby,” Rabbi Josh Gruenberg said at the donor reveal. “A new lobby is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate. But today is really a celebration of our entire community, and specifically our Goldsmith community that continues to inspire not only our students, not only our teachers but our entire Chizuk community.”
Gold said that the idea for the lobby was for it to be a “feel-good space” that inspires warmth and cheer among students and parents alike.
“It comes full circle because Goldsmith is really the foundation of Jewish connections and Jewish identity for some families,” she said. “That foundation of early childhood allows families to come in slowly and let their children guide what traditions they decide to embrace.”
