Our Mission
Our mission is to provide our children with the fundamental
skills and information, which will enable them to celebrate and take pride in
their Jewish identity and heritage, and to transfer what they learn to their
families, their homes, and their lives.
We recognize the individuality of each child. Our curriculum
weaves together all areas of the child’s development: spiritual, intellectual,
emotional, social and physical, within a warm, nurturing play based environment.
We are committed to an ongoing learning process to connect the
child’s love of learning with Jewish traditions, values and rituals.
Our Philosophy of Learning
The Phylis J. Green Early
Childhood Center at Congregation Kol Tikvah is a caring and positive atmosphere,
where we build the foundation of a warm, meaningful Jewish identity for the
child and the family. We guide children in the development of a positive self
image and a love of learning.
The curriculum of the young
child is introduced through materials and active involvement which are both
child-centered and teacher directed. All of the activities that are planned for
the child emphasize the process not the product, fostering a sense of
accomplishment and pride.
We are Jewish twenty-four
hours a day and therefore do not teach Judaism as a separate subject. In our
program, Jewish aspects are interwoven into our daily activities: children are
exposed to Jewish values, at an age appropriate level. We teach our children the
love of Judaism, which they will carry throughout their lives.
Our curriculum is based on
the theory that children learn through play. Classroom routines contain active,
meaningful experimentation, child involvement and reinforcement through
repetition. We allow children to manipulate objects and explore on their own.
Concepts and skills are introduced which are appropriate to the child’s level.
The day is scheduled with a balance between organized activities and free choice
activities, as well as active and quiet times.
We treat each child as an
individual, working from the level that child has attained and moving one step
at a time. We allow children to experience their own stages of development, and
we make each child feel successful without pressure. Throughout our program
teachers provide children with a strong academic foundation that will lead to
future educational success.
Our school believes that the whole child goes to
school, not just the brain.
We teach a love of learning.
We are Jews twenty-four
hours a day and therefore do not teach Judaism as a separate subject. In our
program, Jewish aspects are interwoven into our daily activities: children are
exposed to Jewish values, at an age appropriate level. The children will hear
Bible stories, will sing songs in Hebrew and learn some basic short prayers. In
addition to daily exposure, a Judaic specialist is on staff.
TZEDAKAH
Our tradition explains to us
that by helping those less fortunate, we are actually working for social justice
(the word Tzedakah actually comes from justice, and not charity). Tzedakah is an
important part of the Shabbat experience. Each child will create a tzedakah
container. This will be used each week to send a voluntary contribution (coins).
A notice will be sent home giving further details about this program.
SHABBAT
One of the highlights of our
program is our school wide Shabbat celebration. Every Friday one boy and one
girl in each of the classes will have the honor of being the “Aba” (father) or
the “Ima” (mother) for the day. Siblings, parents and special guests are invited
to share in this day. With the help of the teacher and the parents, the two
children will conduct a Shabbat service for the class. All the classes will meet
in the Sanctuary to begin the Shabbat celebration. Together everyone will
participate in a joyful celebration of Shabbat with music and singing, followed
by a story. The celebration will continue back in the classroom, where the Aba
and Ima will lead the class in the Shabbat blessings. Parents of the Aba or Ima
are asked to bring the challah, grape juice and a special snack of fresh fruit
for the class. You can purchase a challah on Fridays for your child to bring
home to the family to continue the celebration of Shabbat.
We encourage all families
(members of the temple or not) to join us at Congregation Kol Tikvah for Tot
Shabbat services held on the first Friday of each month at 6:30 PM. These are
child-friendly services geared towards our little ones, which last about half an
hour, after which the children get challah and doughnuts.
|
