Jewish TotSchool - Enroll your child in Jewish Kid School’s Pre-School program Instill a love of Jewish culture from the start September 2, 2012

For 2s, 3s, and 4s, and a parent or a guardian

18 sessions, every other Sunday, from 2:45-5pm

Convenient Upper West Side location - 15 West 86th Street

Membership in the Congregation is not required

$945 for Non-Members / $695 for Members

Taught by Gillian Stauch
Program Description

The preschool program at the City Congregation's Jewish Kid School consists of interactive parent-child classes for children ages 2-4, with art, music, movement, food and inquiry-based play activities that focus on Jewish culture, values and symbols from a secular humanistic perspective.

The curriculum follows the Jewish calendar, introducing all major holidays as well as age-appropriate Jewish values such as family (mishpacha), friendship (khaverut), community (kehillah), charity (tzedakah), fairness (tzedek), and peace In the home (shalom bayit).

For example, as the school year begins along with the new Jewish Year, we will learn about Rosh Hashanah by sharing our hopes for the year ahead. We will read books like "Sammy Spider's First Rosh Hashanah" by Sylvia Ross and "Happy New Year, Beni" by Jane Breskin Zalben. We will sing holiday songs and enjoy the symbolic foods like apples and honey and challah. We will also make shofars, apple tree murals and Rosh Hashanah cards for our families.

When we study friendship (khaverut) we will read and dramatize "Friends" by Helm Heine, and enjoy some of the activities the friends in the story did, such as playing hide-and-seek, sailing toy boats, and eating cherries. We will discuss what we like to do with our friends, encouraging families to bring in photos of children and their friends that we can make frames for.

Sharing plays a major role in our preschool, and parents and children are always encouraged to share their own books, music, art supplies, toys and games -- and of course their own ideas.

Daily Schedule

Our afternoons begin at 2:45 as we gather with the rest of the Jewish Kid School for a light snack. At 3:00 the entire community shares singing and storytelling at Kehillah Circle, and the pre-school class runs from 3:30 to 5:00. We will also have special holiday schedules when we join the entire congregation to celebrate Hanukkah, Purim and the end of the school year.

Our Teacher

Gillian Stauch, MS Ed, LMSW is an early childhood educator who has worked with children and families for 19 years as a classroom teacher, SEIT (Special Education Itinerant Teacher) and Early Intervention therapist. She has degrees in Early Childhood Education, Special Education and Social Work. She has been a member of CCHJ for the past decade and taught both a parent-child preschool class and a 2nd/3rd grade class in our Jewish Kid School program for several years.

****REGISTER TODAY! http://citycongregation.org/forms /kidschoolenrollment.html or call 212-213-1002 | Class is based on enrollment of at least 4 students. |