Meet Your New ECEC Principal

When Dedham’s littlest learners made their way to their first classrooms this year, they did so under the guidance of a new principal. Warm, and with an easy smile, Kimberly Taylor has spent the last 14 years greeting new kids as they began their educational journeys, mostly in the Framingham school district. But this year is different for the experienced principal; she’s finally got her dream job.

“My whole education career has been about early childhood,” she explains from her office in the old ECEC building. She holds an undergraduate degree in early childhood education from Stonehill College, and a masters’ in curriculum and instruction from Boston College. “I’ve always had this love and passion for the early childhood ages. I’ve taught up to second grade, and even that felt too high for me.”

As Principal of King Elementary in Framingham, her most recent post, Taylor shepherded ages higher than two with high praise from her superintendents and community – but when Dedham put the call out for a school focused entirely on early childhood, she says she simply had to apply.

“My passion is in this early age,” she says. “Setting this foundation for kids and for families too because most of them are new, they haven’t been to school: that’s where I feel like I’m the most happy.”

It’s especially unique, as well; precious few communities support early education with a dedicated school and principal. It did mean having to leave a school system where she’d spent 21 years… and then there was the in-depth interview process that spanned months.

“It was daunting,” she recalls. “There was an initial interview with 16 people, then I had to come [to the ECEC] for a day. They took me around, I met with the staff and parents. It was very thorough.”

She pauses and laughs.

“I hadn’t interviewed for a job in over 10 years. So this was kind of eye opening. But you know what? It was important. And I feel like I got this job because I really earned it.”

Now that she has it, of course, she’s coming to terms with the transitions she – and her staff and students – are having to make. First, there was a very important transition at home.

“My only child just left for college,” she admits. “ That was part of my thinking. I wondered if I wanted all this change at once. Ultimately, I think it’s helping; it’s keeping me very busy. And the staff here, many of them have been going through the same thing.”

Second, she and the teachers within the building are learning about each other. Despite weeks of working closely to prep for the new school year, it was evident that there were big shoes to fill. Previous principal Paul Sullivan was a beloved part of the school for over 25 years, and the community feels his loss even as he’s been integrally part of the transition.

“I know how much everybody absolutely love him, staff and students,” Taylor acknowledges. “We’re different people, that’s just life, and I feel lucky to have him around. But I do find myself thinking like, ‘What would Paul have done?’”

Finally, she faces perhaps the most daunting of the transitions at the end of this calendar year: the move to a brand new, 51,000-square-foot building. The new ECEC is nearing completion, and moving 300 students plus 60+ faculty to new digs is no small feat – especially when much of that staff has been collecting for two and a half decades.

“I think there’s a lot of anxiety: feelings of like, how am I going to move all this stuff?” she laughs. “They’re so thrilled to move, but there’s a letting go piece too.”

She turns somewhat serious.

“Of course, they’re really just so excited about there being no stairs.”

The new school is the first early education center in the state to be approved for funding by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, echoing an increased emphasis on teaching kids basic skills in their earliest years across the nation. The center is twice the size of the existing building, includes two playgrounds, expansive classrooms with digital whiteboards, outdoor courtyards and innovative interior spaces for hands-on learning, a large parking lot (desperately needed), its own cafeteria, and, as promised, no stairs – all in a beautiful, wooded location on High Street, site of the old Dexter Elementary School. It’s scheduled to be complete in time for a December hand-off from the contractors to the town.

The MSBA provided in excess of $10 million for the school.

“The focus is now coming everywhere on early childhood – how important it is, and how this really is the foundation for kids and we need to be able to meet their needs early on – especially socially and emotionally,” Taylor offers. “I think the state is kind of opening their eyes to how important that is, and so I think this will probably be the first of many schools of its type.”

Despite the change in atmosphere, technology, and security (the new building has a “state of the art” security system that force-locks every classroom door), Taylor insists that the heart of the ECEC – its philosophy towards building a warm, effective educational foundation for its youngsters – won’t be any different.

“Many of these kids and families, this is their first school experience,” she says. “The comfort level, the social and emotional development of kids at this age is so important. We can’t forget that kids at 3-5 years old need nurturing and time to grow and time to play and time to experiment.”

The ECEC staff carefully balances that need for creative expression with district-mandated goals for learning.

“Each teacher has an individual style, but we still use standards to drive classroom instruction. These programs, for example, allow kids to work in small groups according to their skill levels, so kids don’t feel bored or that they can’t keep up.”

And for parents who are sending their kids to school for the first time, the amount of progression they’ll witness may seem incredible. But it’s all part, says Taylor, of giving kids the benefit of the doubt.

“To think that kids can’t do these things – let’s get them to try and see what happens,” she says. “We’re seeing a lot more growth now. If a child came in with no letters and no letter sounds, they’re going to leave with a lot of new knowledge. That’s what’s important.”

In the end, the smiling faces of the kids are still what gets this principal up in the morning.

“I love them,” she says. “I love helping to set this foundation for them. It’s going to last for the rest of their lives.”

For more on the ECEC, visit the school’s website at https://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/Domain/230.