Early Childhood Program
Our Early Childhood Program nourishes and cultivates within each child a lifelong passion for learning and discovery. Experienced, caring teachers encourage children to learn and explore within a nurturing Torah environment. Our Reggio Emilia-inspired classrooms are designed to spark young children’s natural curiosity and creativity. The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment guided by the interests of children. We blend Judaic and General subjects into a rich, fulfilling and stimulating program that is dedicated to meeting each child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual needs.
18-Month Program: Our toddler class nurtures and encourages children’s natural curiosity in a fun and active learning environment. Highly trained teachers plan daily activities that encourage enthusiastic exploration of the world. Within the consistent structure toddlers crave, children enjoy a daily balance of quiet activities, spirited music and movement, and plenty of outdoor climbing, running, and jumping.
2-Year Program: Our youngest students’ first school experience is a gentle transition from home to school. Toddlers learn through experiential, play-based discovery in a safe and loving environment. We nurture each child’s individual strengths and interests and instill in them confidence, creativity and compassion for others. We support their social-emotional development through peer interaction, dramatic play, songs and storytelling. Children learn to become “classroom citizens” by participating in group activities that foster their sense of responsibility and independence. Our introduction to Jewish learning includes brachot (blessings), beginning Hebrew vocabulary, davening (prayer), weekly celebration of Shabbat, the chagim (holidays), and creative exploration of the weekly parsha (Torah portion).
3-Year Program: Our engaging, Reggio Emilia-inspired classroom environment nurtures children’s curiosity and excitement. We strongly encourage children to explore their interests, gently guided by their teachers. By observing what fascinates the children, teachers develop activities and projects. Throughout these explorations, they have opportunities to strengthen their motor skills, expand their use of language, increase their cognitive abilities and reinforce positive social relationships. Our curriculum integrates the four seasons, Jewish and American holidays, self-image, animals, shapes, an introduction both to the Aleph Bet and alphabet recognition. Children explore their rich Jewish heritage by learning about the weekly parsha (Torah portion), developing a love of davening (prayer) and giving tzedakah (charity). Israeli assistants speak exclusively in Hebrew to the children. Their introduction to Ivrit (Hebrew) includes counting, reciting the days of the week and colors. Children learn how to appreciate Hashem’s world by seeing the wonder in every day.
Pre-Kindergarten: Pre-K is a vital transition year as children prepare to enter Kindergarten. They begin to develop reading and math readiness skills and discover science concepts through experimentation, music, art, storytelling and play. They become partners in the learning process as they learn the letters of the Aleph Bet and the alphabet, parsha (weekly Torah portion) and chagim (Jewish holidays). Our strong emphasis on Ivrit (Hebrew) enables children to become comfortable with the Hebrew language. They begin to understand why and to whom we daven (pray). Social interaction is the child’s prime educator as they become self-confident when interacting with adults and peers. Our activities refine gross and fine motor skills, enabling children to become more independent and develop a positive self-image. Children thrive in our Reggio Emilia-inspired classroom, where provocations prompt thoughts, discussions, questions, interests, creativity and new ideas. They move up from our Early Childhood Program with a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning.