2015 SSDS Annual Report

“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words
become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values.
Your values become your destiny.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Each year, SSDS grows and matures as a reflection of our students, parents, teachers and staff. Teachers and
parents create loving classrooms in which children explore, play and grow. Parent and teacher committees
produce school events and trainings. Staff manage a myriad of projects that make things work. Building and
playground maintenance is improved on community workdays. Educators learn and expand their worlds
alongside parents and their students. So much is driven by all of you, making things happening here at SSDS.
For me, the 2014-2015 school year represented a significant milestone in my career as an early childhood
educator – my 20th year at SSDS.
Over the course of the year, people often asked me, “Where do you find inspiration?” “What does SSDS mean
to you?” “What motivates you?” In my mind, the only response to these questions is community.
My father, Paul Meredith Bradley, was a Methodist minister. Not the kind of preacher that you see on a Sunday
morning at the pulpit, but a minister of education who spent his life involved in the spiritual education of
children, youth and adults.
As a child I was a camper in a camp my dad held for under-privileged children. As a youth I worked with
my dad to organize a tutoring program for foster kids who needed not only extra academic support but
also needed a friend or buddy. My youth group, guided by my father, was always a place where everyone
belonged, where barriers of social groups, what school you attended or where you lived, didn’t matter.
Whether he realized it or not, my dad was a true example of fellowship and community.
My dad showed me that developing meaningful connections with people leads to the creation of
communities. All people want to belong. We want to be part of something where we can contribute and
make things happen. We want to witness firsthand how our contributions make an impact. And, of course, we
hope our children will have these same meaningful experiences as they go through life.
Twenty years ago, when I began my journey at SSDS, I had no idea that building and fostering a community
would ultimately be the strength and magic behind our school. Like you, I came here seeking to work with
and learn from children. Like a pebble dropped into a pond, children are the epicenter of that stone’s impact
on the water, and the ripples, as they move outward, are all the relationships and connections created by our
love and desire to give children the best possible start in this world.
As parents and educators, the examples we set matter. I now see how my own beliefs and work here at SSDS
have evolved from what I observed as a child. I have come full circle: the ripples continue to expand, as I see
each of you, parents and staff, truly present, shaping our community and serving as role models to show our
children each and every day the value of belonging, giving, and being a friend.
As I reflect on my 20 momentous years at SSDS, I am proud of the community we have built together, proud
of our legacy and how we are shaping the makers of the future. I look forward to knowing the people our
children grow into, and seeing that future they create. Oh, what a future it will be.

As parents at Silver Spring Day
School, we don’t just stand
outside the door to our child’s
education: we walk right in.
We wash the cups, wipe the tables,
sit to read a book with three kids in
our lap; we sing the songs, get the
“sharing timer” when necessary and
gently wipe noses and tears. Outside
we spot on the monkey bars, direct
tricycle traffic, get sand in our shoes
and hold many hands. We know
the teachers; we know our child’s
classmates, and we know each other.
Parents at SSDS are a driving force
for building our community. When
our children see us haul mulch in the
playground on clean-up day, leave
the house after dinner to attend an
Octoberfest committee meeting or
even organize an impromptu playdate
on our fourth snow day, they witness
our choice to participate in the
building of our school community.
Every day, in small and large ways,
they see us working together towards
common goals. In witnessing this
engagement our children understand
something vital: that each of us has
the power to transform the world.
Liz Webster Duke, mom to Emma
(Ms. Lesley’s 4’s) and Liam (SSDS ’14)

In May, the 2’s and 3’s
families created the “Mito
Walk” to raise awareness for
Mitochondrial Disease, in
support of their classmate,
Annabelle. All classes at SSDS
make a connection with the
community through a service
project.
PreK kids
bring
songs and
cards to
residents
of Sunrise
Senior
Living.

Our
westernthemed
Spring
Social was
a time for
our parents
to kick
back and
have fun
together.
“Friend raisers” like Octoberfest help families
get to know each other.
SSDS partnered with Class Acts Arts to
create the “Jump Start with The Arts”
concert series.
An emphasis
on Social/
Emotional
learning
helps children
create
harmony and
friendship
inside and
outside the
classroom.

Warm smiles, big hugs, joy in
the classroom, and exceptional
learning opportunities – it all
depends on our loving staff.
We treasure our employees and
offer lots of opportunities for
continued growth and learning.
In the 2014- 2015 School Year :
• All our teaching staff joined the Maryland
Child Care Credential program, an incentive
program to encourage teachers to further
their professional development.
• Four of our Assistant Teachers completed
the 90 Hour Course and the Child
Development Associate Credential (CDA).
• Three of our staff members continued their
education with college courses in Child
Development.
• Our Training Institute offered several MSDE
approved Core of Knowledge workshops for
teachers, educating not only our staff, but
also teachers from the community.
• With help from a grant from Target, four
teachers attended the National Training
Institute on Effective Practices conference in
Florida, to support our school-wide Social/
Emotional curriculum.
• Many staff members offered enrichment
programs like yoga or cooking to share their
areas of expertise with the children.

Individual Donors
($9077)
AARP
Araki, Yuko
Ateek, Tanory
Bevington Family
Bhandari Family
Bradley, Maxine
Bryant, Melanee
Castro, Elba
DeHaven, Carol
Duke Family
Ederer, Emily
Edgerton, Beth
Fallon, Gail
Fattor Family
Filburn/Culhane Family
Fitzpatrick Family
General Anonymous
Donations
Gibson, Jenna
Hall, Leslie
Humbert, Michelle
Kershner, Kris
Knoll, Judy
Kuschmider Family
Kusmin, Cathy
Lee, Lauren
Lindley Family
Loor-Iwasaki, Graigni
Lopez, Claudia
McCarthy, Mary
Meegama, Nileeni
Meer Family
Meer, Jason
Morin Family
Reff, Lisa
Rhinehart , Cheryl
Ruiz, Maria
Saldi, Claudia
Schulz Family
Shavell, Jennifer
Waller/Ard Family
Wilson, Megan
Yimam, Zed
Grants & Foundations
($6300)
$1000 Target
$3300 Backer Foundation
$2000 Halpern Foundation
Foundation
Board Of Directors
Kevin Fattor
President
Amy Ard
Vice President
Hamlet Lopez
Treasurer
Lyle Turner
Secretary
Brian Bhandari
Patty Culhane
Roz Dzelzitis
Liz Webster Duke
Marty Fitzpatrick
Jenna Gibson
Lauren Lee
Cheryl Rhinehart
Nick Schulz
Management Team
Rebecca Iwamoto
2s/3s – Team Leader
Lisa Schwartz
3s/4s - Team Leader
Melanee Bryant
PreK – Team Leader
Emily Ederer
Staff Development & Training
Institute
Alison McLaughlin
Cultural Arts
Expenses
($1,029,502 total)
Payroll & Benefits $748,239
Program & Supplies $112,299
Insurance & Prof. Fees $32,313
Rent & Facilities $113,232
Fundraising $23,419
Reserves & Facilities Funds $71,893
Payroll & Benefits
82%
Program & Supplies
10%
Income
($1,101,395)
Fundraising
2%
Rent & Facilities
10%
Insurance & Prof.
Fees 3%
Fundraising & Grants $53,378
Tuition $868,742
Ancillary Programs $171,610
Fees $9,665
Ancilliary Programs
16%
Reserves & Facilities
Funds 7%
Fundraising & Grants
5%
Fees 1%
Payroll & Benefits
68%
Tuition 79%

Mission
Statement
SSDS is a Parent Participatory Preschool.
SSDS believes that high-quality early
childhood education is a cooperative
partnership between educators, parents
and students. Parents play a vital role
at SSDS by volunteering in classrooms,
supporting school events, and serving on
the Board of Directors.
Programs offered:
Young 2s (rolling admission)
Two Day 2s
Three Day 2s & 3s
Young 4s
Pre-K
Annual Report 2014-2015
33 University Blvd. East
Silver Spring, MD 20901
301-593-6581
silverspringdayschool.org
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SSDS is a Maryland State Department of Education-approved private school.
SSDS is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young
Children, the Potomac Association of Cooperative Teachers, and the Maryland
Association of Nonprofit Organizations.
Design by Meredith Meer