Zimmer

I'm Malkie Herson, Founder and Educational Director of Zimmer School.
In 1998, at the request of some local friends, we began Zimmer School...with a small group of three students, but with a big, big dream. We set out to create a school in which the child's voice would be heard, where their minds would be stretched, and where their families would be part of the journey. Our school would be a place where children learn with their hands, their hearts, and their minds. Based on the peace and buzz-of-learning that pervades our school, I’d say we succeeded!
 
Along with my husband, Rabbi Mendy, we are the proud parents of eight children - five boys and three girls. Perhaps, because of the high dose of yin-and-yang in our home, I have such great appreciation for dichotomy. I enjoy the chaotic energy that life often brings, yet I also love the occasional moments of solitude to reflect and retreat within. Energy and Reflection. Doing and Being. Exhaling and Inhaling. Weekdays and Shabbat. Like city and suburb: I love the high energy of urban living (I grew up in Brooklyn) – the lights, the commotion, the smells. Surrounded by those sensory stimuli, I feel alive. However, I also like suburban life (I have lived in Basking Ridge for 24 years). Lying down on the grass at midnight, looking at the uninterrupted expanse of sky, looking at the stars so far away twinkling against the seemingly infinite…The cosmic largesse helps me put my own, life into perspective. I’m not afraid to ask questions and have a passion for exploration. That exploration also includes the search for the beautiful potential that lies with you, me, and the wonderful world around us. Therein lies the motivation behind our truly child-focused preschool, where children are free to explore, and to discover, to learn and to grow.
 
“The Zimmer way” has become synonymous for authentic and appropriate education. I love sharing what we do with others, and am often invited to lecture at various educational venues. I serve as a consultant to other preschool programs in areas of curriculum, programming, and systemic organization. I serve on the advisory board of the CECE Network, which promotes and supports excellence in 500 Chabad Early Childhood Educational Institution worldwide.