Temple Emanuel - Early Childhood

Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley

Learning

THREE’s

Two five day programs to choose from:

l 9:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Monday – Friday
l 9:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Monday, Wednesday & Friday
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 Tuesday & Thursday

Enrichment Activities (optional) 1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Three’s is a magical year of preschool for your child. The majority of children are returning to school with a comfort level and confidence from having previously been in the program. A number of them may have attended our camp over the summer and have had an opportunity to get to know more of their classmates and teachers. The transition and adjustment to beginning this school year is virtually seamless for most. But there are often some new students, so our teachers take time to make sure each individual child is eased into school comfortably. New friends quickly become old as the children swiftly adapt to new routines and settle into school.

With Greater Confidence, Faster Development

Socialization

Children at this age are “social butterflies”, constantly asking for after school play dates. They interact with each other – making sense of their world in the housekeeping corner, or dressing up, and using their negotiating skills as they build structures in the construction area. The teachers facilitate interactive opportunities through dramatic play, re-enacting stories, cooking, baking and playing board games. Through their interactions, our children continue to learn to share, take turns, and be good friends. On Shabbat the children bring tzedakah and learn about mitzvot, sharing stories of their good deeds of the week. Through their weekly assigned jobs the children learn responsibility, how to be a leader, and to count on others.

Academics

As your child grows socially, he is also growing intellectually by leaps and bounds. He may begin recognizing words he sees hanging up around the room. He learns to compare and contrast objects and experience different textures through painting with pinecones, walking on bubble wrap and working with clay. He learns to count and measure through fun cooking projects. Your child is exposed to science, learning about the weather, why bears hibernate, the parts of the body and their functions. Our teachers encourage creativity and critical thinking. A highlight is a book the children create about themselves.

In our Three’s program, we expand upon the children’s curriculum, including in-depth study of various subjects such as literature, science and math. For example, after hearing a story, the children will reenact it and create their own collections of stories. In a mathematics lesson, the children will be introduced to the concepts of hypothesis and estimation through activities such as guessing how many apples tall a friend is and then taking the actual measurement.

While our teachers are passionate about their curriculum, they are also flexible and willing to change their plans based on the interests of the children. Every activity is viewed as an opportunity for learning; a simple walk through the school building can be turned into an adventure covering science and geography if the children are asked to outline and discuss the different parts of the building and their functions. How would we map our way to the boiler room, and what does it have to do with our nice warm classroom?

Our children learn that the road to academic success is not about memorizing facts, but about being inquisitive, asking the questions, and being thoughtful about where the facts will lead.

Judaism

The teachers continue to explore Shabbat and the holidays in greater depth, incorporating academic learning into the lessons. The children learn how to tell a story by creating a Shabbat book together with written descriptions and illustrations,

using narrative, and materials with varied textures and materials. Hebrew language becomes part of the class routine. Stories, dramatic play, songs and cooking reinforce their knowledge and understanding of the holidays. Becoming a thoughtful person is at the heart of the class’s cultural experience

As in the Two’s, throughout the term, each Friday, one child’s parents are invited to join the class, reading a favorite story and participating in the children’s musical celebration of Shabbat. This tradition is one of many opportunities parents have throughout the year to see first hand what wonderful things are going on in the classroom..

Extracurricular Activities

Our program includes the option of specially designed, age-appropriate, weekly sessions in Soccer , Teddy Tennis, Creative Movement, Computer Science (Imagine Tomorrow by KidKlicks), Young Rembrandts and cooking classes. These activities are incorporated into your child’s week, as you choose. They teach new skills, increase attention spans, build confidence, build on your child’s creativity, improve hand-eye coordination, teach the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle…and the kids have so much fun!