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Ways to Give
The Wonder Fund
Fueling a Lifetime of Wonder
At the Innovative School, learning begins with a question, a spark, a moment of noticing. A toddler asks why. A five-year-old builds a bridge out of blocks and won’t stop until it holds. A fifth grader designs a real solution to a real problem. We call that spark wonder, and it is more than a name. It’s our compass: every child is a capable, curious protagonist of their own learning, and every adult around them (teacher, parent, and community) is a partner in that pursuit.
The Wonder Fund is how our community sustains that pursuit, together, all year long. It isn’t a single ask or a once-a-year transaction, but is an open, ongoing invitation to invest in the people, places, and possibilities that make learning with wonder real for every child who walks through our doors today and for the learners who will follow them.
Every gift to the Wonder Fund, at every level and at any time of year, does one of three things: it deepens the expertise of the teachers who guide our children, it shapes the environments where children explore and create, or it opens our doors to families who could not otherwise say yes. Often, it does all three at once.
Give today and help shape a future of wonder.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
The Wonder Fund is made possible through three interconnected priorities where each is a different expression of the Innovative School philosophy. Every undesignated gift to the Wonder Fund supports all three; donors who wish to direct their gift to one priority may do so.
Investing in Teachers — The Margie Zeskind Educator Development (MZED) Fund
At Innovative School, the teacher is a researcher, a listener, a co-learner alongside the child. The MZED Fund invests in that ongoing growth: sending our educators to study in immersive study tours, funding advanced degrees through T.E.A.C.H. scholarships, and bringing master educators into our classrooms to deepen practice. When a teacher grows, every child they will ever teach grows with them.
Investing in Environment — The Innovative Enhancements Fund
Educators are the “third teacher:” the physical space itself, shaped with intention to invite exploration, collaboration, and independence. The Innovative Enhancements Fund supports our physical school to serve as another teacher alongside parents and educators, utilizing natural light, accessible materials, and flexible, aesthetic spaces to encourage independence, creativity, and curiosity.
Investing in Access — The Scholarship Fund
Wonder should never be limited by circumstance. The Scholarship Fund ensures that an Innovative School education, small classes, deep relationships, a curriculum built around each child’s “hundred languages,” is within reach for more families, strengthening the diverse, collaborative community that makes our school what it is.
Our Circle of Wonder
The Wonder Fund welcomes support at every level. Every gift matters and every gift is appreciated.
The levels below are named for an idea at the heart of our Innovative School. Giving at one of the levels below, you join our Circle of Wonder, which also aligns with our Temple’s Circle of Giving, a community of families and friends who help keep our community accessible to all.
Joyful Learning — $1,800
Recognition on our website, end-of-year-report, yearbook
Inquiry — $3,600
All Joyful Learning benefits, plus
Innovation — $5,400
All Inquiry benefits, plus:
Invitation to 1 Circle event
Kehilla — $10,800
All Innovation benefits, plus:
Invitation to 2 Circle events
Change-maker — $18,000
All Kehilla benefits
Invitation to annual leadership dinner
Every gift to the Wonder Fund, at any level, at any time of year, keeps wonder alive at the Innovative School.
Opportunities for Impact - Scholarships
$1,800 — Nourish a learner
Helps ensure learners are fully present each day—nourished, focused, and ready to explore. Well-being fuels curiosity, confidence, and joyful discovery. Your generosity helps ensure every child can engage fully in the work of learning.
$3,600 — Welcome a family
Expands access for a learner whose family could not otherwise say yes. Your gift strengthens a diverse, collaborative community where every child is known, every voice is valued, and every perspective enriches the learning experience.
$5,400 — Transform the learner
Supports a year of discovery, confidence, and creative expression, honoring each child’s “hundred languages” and innate capacity to lead their own learning. Your leadership empowers a learner to flourish throughout the year.
$10,800 — Strengthen our educators and community
Invests in the educators who make transformational learning possible by opening the doors of the Innovative School to the children of our teachers and staff. When those who dedicate their lives to nurturing young minds can also provide this experience for their own children, the entire community grows stronger—deepening belonging, strengthening continuity, and enriching every learner’s experience.
$18,000 — Shape a lifetime
More than access, this is an investment in identity, agency, and possibility—creating opportunities whose impact will extend far beyond a single school year.
Opportunities for Impact - MZED
$1,800 — Spark Global Inspiration
Opens the door for one teacher to experience immersive study visits that transform the way educators see children, classrooms, and learning—bringing fresh ideas home that inspire colleagues and enrich the experience of every learner they teach.
$3,600 — Invest in Teacher Growth
Expands opportunities for educators to pursue advanced degrees through T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships. Your support strengthens the professional journey of early childhood teachers while deepening the knowledge, confidence, and expertise that shape exceptional learning every day.
$5,400 — Teaching Excellence Fellowship
Cultivates a year of collaborative professional learning and coaching for an entire grade-level teaching team. Through reflection, mentorship, and shared inquiry, educators refine their practice and strengthen the innovative, child-centered learning experiences that define the Innovative School.
$10,800 — Empower Teacher Leadership
Celebrates and sustains the educators who go beyond their classrooms to mentor colleagues, spark new ideas, and strengthen our school culture. Your investment recognizes teacher leadership, encourages innovation, and empowers those who inspire excellence across our entire learning community.
$18,000 — Elevate Learning Across the School
Bring leading educational experts into our community to partner with teachers in literacy, mathematics, assessment, child development, and social-emotional learning. These collaborations deepen instructional practice, inspire continuous growth, and elevate the quality of learning experienced by every child.
Opportunities for Impact – Innovative Enhancements Fund
$1,800 — Inspire Curiosity
Provides innovative classroom materials that invite exploration, creativity, and joyful discovery. Thoughtfully chosen resources become open-ended invitations for children to question, imagine, and create—nurturing curiosity every day.
$3,600 — Create Spaces for Belonging
Strengthens the environments where children learn by enhancing the spaces that welcome, protect, and connect our community. From secure classroom entries to thoughtfully designed transitions, your gift helps every learner feel safe, confident, and ready to explore.
$5,400 — Expand Possibilities
Supports classrooms with flexible furnishings that support collaboration, creativity, and independence. Adaptable learning environments empower children to move, gather, create, and discover in ways that honor their unique ways of learning.
$10,800 — Shape the Future
Transforms a signature learning space—such as our STEAM Lab, atelier, playground, or outdoor classroom—creating inspiring environments where curiosity flourishes and every learner benefits from shared experiences of exploration and innovation.
$18,000 —Leave a Legacy
Makes possible a transformational investment that will inspire generations of Innovative School learners. Whether launching a signature arts initiative, expanding performing arts, creating new learning environments, or introducing a visionary school-wide program, your generosity helps shape the future of learning at the Innovative School.
Please contact Madeleine Novack for more information regarding Named funds, Circle of Giving, and Naming Opportunities.