Temple Beth Rishon

Happy New Year from the entire staff at the Andrew Friedland Preschool. We hope that this year brings everyone good health, joy, and lots of laughter.

At the preschool, we are heavily into the re-enrollment season.  Every preschool has sent out their material, hoping that families will choose to send their children to School X instead of School Y. This is a very competitive market, with many options and we are living in a climate where every family has different needs and requirements for their children's education.  There are many options out there. You can choose a secular school, one that is affiliated with a Synagogue or JCC, or a child-care center. So, what exactly should a family look for in a quality preschool program?

(I'll admit to a little bias. And while I'm new to Temple Beth Rishon, I have seen many programs, so I do have a means for comparison.)

First of all, if you have made an appointment to visit a school, you should be expected, and greeted. When you walk through the door, you should feel a sense of warmth and caring, and you must see happy children.  Teachers should be engaged with the children, laughing and playing, reading and singing, listening to what every child has to say, and respectful of individual differences.  You should be warmly received by the director and the staff, encouraged to join the classroom activity, and your questions should be answered. It's important to ask how long the staff has been working at the school.  A heavy turnover doesn't bode well for a happy, productive staff. What is the teacher:child ratio?  Are the teachers licensed? 

Look at the bulletin boards.  Is the art work "too beautiful", store bought, or is the work "child done"?  Children should be encouraged to be creative and individual interpretations should be encouraged and fostered. In preschool it's all about experimenting and experiencing in order for a child to grow, to internalize learning and develop a good sense of self.  Children need to be empowered to make choices and know that their work is valued and valuable. 

Make sure that you see large group projects.  It is important that children learn to cooperate with the other children in the class, that they understand the importance of working together for a common goal.  When everyone has helped to make a giant turkey or chanukiah, all the children take great pleasure in the finished product.  It is not a matter of "Mine is the best" or "I finished first".  Rather it is "We did a great job".

I am a big believer in taking dictation from the children, so you should see the children's words displayed in the classroom.  Developing strong language skills is an important component in raising a successful reader.  The teachers ask open-ended questions and write down every child's response.  Sometimes the class writes a book and it is read over and over again because the children love to hear their own words read to them.  In addition to being a wonderful eye-opener into their world, and a total riot for those of us who read their words, these dictations are an incredibly important step in the "learning to read" process.

Are the children encouraged to take risks?  Are they given opportunities to learn that there are many solutions to a problem?  Do they play with blocks? Are there manipulatives in the classrooms?  Are ALL the children encouraged to participate in the Block area? Three dimensional block play helps develop geometric concepts.  Blocks are incredible mathematics learning tools. They teach cooperation, balance, symmetry and problem solving. Block play is very important. 

The internet offers many suggestions and checklists and questions to ask when you visit a school. But the best test of a "good fit" is how you feel when you walk through the halls, and your own sense of what's best for you and your family.  At the Andrew Friedland Preschool the children are engaged and stimulated.  They are respected and nurtured and loved, and they are taught by an experienced staff of Early Childhood educators who challenge each child to be his or her best self.  The teachers provide an enriching curriculum, cognizant of the requirements of the local public schools. And then there is the intangible:  the Temple Beth Rishon community. This is the warmest, most caring, inclusive synagogue, where no one remains NEW, where everyone is welcomed and included.  So, when your child comes to preschool, your family is enveloped by a whole community of caring families.  Can't find better.

 Now for my pitch: If you have a new neighbor with a young child, or if you meet someone in the gym or the library that happens to have a young family, tell them to give us a call.  Or, better yet, take down that person's name and number, and I will call them.  Together we're better, and our goal this year is to grow our school and nurture even more children and their families.

B'Shalom, 

Debby Landesman