Meredith Englander Polsky

“When I began my career, my intention was to change the landscape of Jewish education for children with special needs. Whenever possible, I attached myself to like-minded people, parents, exceptional teachers, and rabbis who recognized the Jewish message of inclusion. It is not enough to learn that as a Jewish community, we are to embrace those who are different. But rather, we must also live this value and allow our children to live this value. Every morning when I wake up, I see opportunities for inclusion in Jewish education. I say to myself, ‘How much stronger would the Jewish community be if it was inclusive of every individual regardless of ability? What can I do today to make that happen?’”

Meredith Englander Polsky is the National Director of Institutes and Training at Matan. In this capacity, she directs The Matan Institute, which trains groups of Education Directors and teachers on how to make systemic change in their organizations to effectively include children with special needs. Ms. Polsky also oversees the Matan Program at Shaare Torah Congregation in Rockville, MD, where she manages teaching staff and supports curriculum development.

Ms. Polsky presents at major Jewish conferences, including the General Assembly, United Synagogue’s New Directors Institute, Hebrew College, and others. She serves as an inclusion mentor for the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Community of Practice Initiative and consults with communities nationwide on inclusion and Jewish education. Her articles have been published in numerous print and online publications, including Kveller.com, PresenTense, eJewishphilanthropy.com, and The New Normal.

Ms. Polsky serves as the Developmental Support Coordinator at Temple Beth Ami Nursery School. As Coordinator, Ms. Polsky supports teachers in working with children with special learning needs; facilitates and oversees the successful integration and support of each child; assists in identifying potential delays in early development; works with parents to support their process of recognizing and understanding their child’s needs; interfaces with county professionals to secure proper supports for children both inside and outside of school; coordinates the efforts of the child’s entire support team, including a speech pathologist and occupational therapist; and works with teachers to integrate the suggestions of all specialists. Ms. Polsky has ensured that every child who has applied to Temple Beth Ami has been accepted regardless of special need.

From 2005 to 2010, Ms. Polsky served as Specialist, Special Needs and Disabilities Services, for the Department of Early Childhood, Youth, and Teens at the Partnership of Jewish Life and Learning in Rockville, MD. Ms. Polsky was responsible for obtaining Maryland State certification for all Partnership trainings for early childhood educators and directors. She served as community liaison for parents seeking Jewish education for their children with special needs and for Jewish education directors working to create more inclusive environments. While in this role, Ms. Polsky created a guidebook for synagogues on fostering an inclusive environment, as well as a Special Needs Assistance Program through which she trained teenagers to support children with special needs in congregational school and youth group settings.

Ms. Polsky held the title of Founder of Matan from 2000 to 2004. In this capacity, she worked with synagogues, Jewish agencies, and religious and day school classroom teachers to create inclusive educational programs, curriculum, and lesson plans for children with special needs. She also created new programs for children who had never had access to a Jewish education because of their special needs, developed individualized education plans for these students, and supervised Jewish special educators in the classroom.

Ms. Polsky received her B.A. in Psychology with High Honors (1996) from the University of Michigan, an MSW in Clinical Social Work (2000) from Columbia University, an M.S. Ed. from Bank Street College of Education with a Concentration in Early Childhood Special Education, and a Graduate Certificate in Early Intervention (2014) from Georgetown University.