​Bank Street Teacher Project

​In June 2013, we launched a pilot mentor project with Bank Street Family Center at Bank Street College in New York City, NY. This collaborative project allows teachers at Verner to develop skills through observation, immersion and training in the Bank Street philosophy.
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The mentor program is being led by Jacque Penick, Executive Director of Verner, Center for Early Learning. Her vision, enthusiasm, and tireless hard work provided the opportunity for partnership between Bank Street and Verner. Laura Martin has been participating in this program and has a strong background in supervising and supporting developing teachers. 

​Teachers from Verner, at varying levels of experience, were paired with experts in early childhood education at Bank Street. For several years, teachers have had on-site visits at both North Carolina and New York centers, where mentees have had the opportunity to observe and be observed by Bank Street mentors. Participants took part in reflective supervision, as well as graduate level seminars. In addition to on-site work, mentors continued exchanging ideas and supervision, including remote seminars and assessment of classroom videos and curriculum reports. Read some of their reflections on our blog.
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The teachers, along with their supervisor, Laura Martin, continue to spend time in classrooms observing and reflecting with the Family Center Mentor teachers and attending graduate level seminars. This degree of immersion in a reflective culture will not only enhances the relationship between Bank Street and Verner but benefits all of the children and families these teachers will work with in the future.