Stephanie Ziman is assistant director of infant and toddler programs at the Stoler Early Learning Center of the Greater Baltimore JCC, and one would be hard pressed to find someone who knows Jewish professional work in this area better than her.
The Baltimore native began her career as an intern at the Rockville JCC while in college, and upon graduating, entered the Jewish professional field in a full-time capacity. She has been in it ever since.
“My master’s is in Jewish education from Baltimore Hebrew University, and at the time it had just started to transition [its holdings] into Towson University — I would call it Towson State, but that makes me sound really old,” she joked.
From there, she taught at Beth Tfiloh Congregation and Community School for 15 years before running the downtown preschool Beth El Congregation. Her daughters graduated from Beth Tfiloh.
“We’ve all just been a part of the Jewish community in some way, shape or form,” Ziman said.
Ziman, an Owings Mills resident, received her master’s degree in education, but wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do with it initially. She knew that she didn’t want to teach in public education. When she started thinking about her values and interests more, she decided to look into working in Jewish education in her hometown. She made up her mind quickly.
“It just sounded like everything I was interested in, and was something I really wanted to focus on,” she said. “I was sold.”
And it isn’t just work in the Baltimore Jewish education sphere that felt like a homecoming for Ziman — it’s work at the JCC specifically.
“The funny part of it as well is that when I had both of my daughters, I took mommy-and-me classes here at the JCC, and then later I taught a couple classes,” she said. “So it’s sort of funny how things come full circle — and I was one of the first classes in the preschool here.”
Some of Ziman’s closest friends to this day are people that she met while in preschool at the JCC. Those bonds mean a lot to her, and seeing similar ones forged in the students she now cares for is what makes this job worth doing, she said.
“[I am driven by] the wonder of children — seeing their eyes light up, seeing the sparks go when they learn something new or they see something new for the first time, or just their natural curiosity,” Ziman said. “[You have to] find ways to engage them and meet them where they are in unique and creative ways.”
One way that Ziman does this is through art. She doesn’t have formal art training, but relies on passion and experience to help teach children what she knows about creating works through a variety of age-appropriate mediums.
“That’s something that I want to be able to offer the younger children and new families and share that excitement,” Ziman said. “You know, let them see the wonder, and let them see it through their child’s perspective.”
In her role at the Stoler Early Learning Center, Ziman oversees the youngest learners: infants and toddlers. They admit babies as young as six weeks old through two years, at which point they transition to preschool. She is usually found bouncing around between classes, helping fill in where needed and providing support for staff members.
“Whether it’s language or gross motor skills or cognitive [skills] or exposure to other different things. I also help tour new families, and I am the sort of liaison for once people inquire about classes, I coordinate to get them registered. I also work with the director of the preschool, working together to create a list of classes,” Ziman said.
Ziman doesn’t currently belong to a synagogue, but she lives a very Jewish life. Whether it’s at home or at work, she is doing all she can to be Jewish and be Baltimorean. One of her favorite things to do is be at home with her family, lighting candles on a Friday night. Like her work, it warms her.
“It’s very meaningful to me,” she said.
