Home | Gan HaYeled | Gan HaMishpacha | Gan HaNeshama | Gan HaTeva | Meet the Gan | Gan Spaces
We are: Reggio-Inspired. Joyfully Jewish. Inclusive. Antiracist.
We offer: Full- and Part-Day Programs
Educational Approach | Noah's Notes | Application & Enrollment | School Overview | Parent Portal | Covid
We embrace the joy, power, and growth present in early childhood.
A child can be gleefully giggling with a friend in one moment and, in the next, passionately advocating for fairness; both represent meaningful moments of expression and learning. We see children for their present qualities as well as their learning potential: for the joy in their whimsical play, for the power in their transformative activism, and the growth that runs through it all.
Our educational approach recognizes children for who they are, now, while supporting them as they stretch, explore, and develop:
Joy
Power
Growth
Joy - Children are never “just playing” - they are making friends, learning about themselves, and sowing the seeds of academic development. Play is the secret sauce of a child’s life and of our classrooms, the intrinsic motivation needed to pull us all forward in the name of curiosity, growth, and development. A progressive, play-based classroom provides our students the ingredients necessary for joyful growth. Interested in why we focus on play? Explore here for pediatric research on play and here for how play-based classrooms promote learning.
Power - In children’s tense negotiations, feverish standoffs, and emotional proclamations, they are showing us their power in the world. They are telling us, “I matter.” Children’s agency - their mattering - is found as they say “no,” take a stand, or refashion the world to suit their agenda. We see this mattering as a crucial component of a healthy and passionate childhood. Inspired by the educational practices of Reggio Emilia, we hold a reverential view of the child-as-citizen and embrace the child’s voice as a lead protagonist in establishing our classroom communities each year. Children’s passions, interests, questions, and ideas come to shape our classrooms, curricula, and community-identity. Interested in what “Reggio-inspired” means? Explore here and here for historical and theoretical overviews.
Growth - Children are born curious and are already learning before we are teaching. Young children are scientists, accumulating data and building theories about their world. Our educational approach acknowledges and builds on the cognitive capacities of young children by supporting their exploration of the tactile and conceptual challenges of daily classroom life: How to build a bridge out of blocks? How to use a paintbrush? How to read a story? How to make a friend? We intentionally support children’s learning by inserting developmentally appropriate learning opportunities along the way. This ensures that children are engaged in pre-academics (i.e., writing, reading, math) and conceptual knowledge (i.e., patterns, opposites) throughout their explorations. Interested in how young children learn? Explore how they construct theories and knowledge through tactile exploration and social dialogue.
Back to top
A single moment of wonder - March 31, 2023
We give our children too much attention.- March 10, 2023
Purim is just around the corner!- March 3, 2023
Hodesh Kavod – month of respect – at the Gan - February 24, 2023
What does it take to raise antiracist children? - February 17, 2023
JDAIM - Assessment tools like the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) - February 10, 2023
What if we were paying attention to the natural world? - February 6, 2023
Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month, (JDAIM) - February 3, 2023
“Hodesh Kavod”, a “Month of Respect” - January 27, 2023
Bringing our values to life - January 13, 2023
How do children learn, and what are they learning? - January 6, 2023
Happy Hanukkah! - December 16, 2022
Gan dressed in glitter - December 9, 2022
Hannukah is in the air! - December 2, 2022
Happy Thanksgiving! - November 23, 2022
Little Magic Moments - November 18, 2022
Parent Teacher Conferences - November 11, 2022
Sharing ourselves - November 4, 2022
Seeing the joy and beauty of our preschool - October 28, 2022
How the engine of the school stays humming - October 21, 2022
Exploring Sukkot while preparing for Simchat Torah - October 7, 2022
The Gan is for you, too - September 30, 2022
Exploring Rosh Hashanah in our classrooms - September 23, 2022
Pointed questions for powerful conversations - September 16, 2022
Welcome to “Noah’s Note” - September 9, 2022
Noah's Notes Archive
Back to top
Limited 2023-2024 enrollment seats available.
Rolling applications currently open.
APPLY HERE
- 2023-24 tuition schedule and program hours
- 2023-24 preschool year calendar | 2022-2023 preschool year calendar
- Let us know what you're looking for: Preschool Inquiry Form
- Inquire about remaining enrollment spots for the 2022-23 school year
NEW: Gan preschool is currently "aging-down" our license. We anticipate offering two new "1s" classrooms for 2023-2024, for children 12-18 and 18-24 months. We are currently accepting applications for these 1s classrooms and anticipate the revised license being confirmed this spring. Please indicate "under 24 months" on your application.
Jewish Values
At Gan HaYeled, Judaism is the fabric of our community. Our Jewish identity - our stories, cycle of the year, culinary traditions, rituals, and more - offer a rich landscape on which we explore, learn, play, and live. Our classrooms celebrate and learn about Jewish holidays and ritual practices, using these as meaningful launching points for deeper curricular extension. Sukkot celebrations may turn into explorations about different forms of housing; the Passover saga may lead us into other stories of justice and power. Throughout these celebrations and studies, we embrace and explore not only the ritual elements but also the values implicit with our stories. Our Jewish values help us understand how to treat ourselves and others and how to care for our world. Our Jewish values are found in our recycling and composting, in how we greet visitors into our classroom, and in how we care for class pets. Our goal is to provide a warm atmosphere in which positive Jewish experiences occur for our children and their families every day.
Inclusive School & Developmental Support
The Gan has a rich history of recognizing the value of inclusion and is committed to providing a quality early childhood education for all children. Recognizing the individual strengths of each child and applying those strengths to areas that need support sometimes requires clinical collaboration. We are able to foster this developmental need by staffing a multidisciplinary team who can assess and coordinate services to accommodate our students in their typical day-to-day routines, resulting in a truly inclusive community.
|
Multidisciplinary Team: Young children are developing quickly, with four developmental domains expanding independently and concurrently. Physical, language, cognitive, and social/emotional development progress considerably during the early childhood years. Our multidisciplinary (developmental support) team, made up of a social worker, special educator, speech/language pathologist and occupational therapist can effectively support their individual area of expertise while collaborating with the team to be sure treatment goals are aligned and consistent. |
|
|
Classroom Support & Intervention: We recognize that every child learns at a different pace, and shines in his or her own way. The ultimate goal is for every student to fully engage in the classroom experience. Our developmental support team can help facilitate differentiated learning and environmental modifications when necessary and work with faculty and families on cultivating skills expected. |
|
|
Clinical Oversight: For children receiving therapeutic services while in school, the developmental support team will oversee and provide ongoing recommendations for a streamlined practice and optimal outcomes. |
|
|
Support Service Coordination: Relationships are critical in any work with young children. The Gan understands that children may already have established connections to therapists before entering our program. We welcome therapists into the school so relationships can be maintained and support can be provided in the child’s natural environment. We all share the same goal, optimizing the child’s experience while supporting their development. |
Enrichment
The Gan HaYeled Enrichment Program brings additional activities and experiences to Gan students outside of Gan classroom hours. From yoga to soccer, painting, and hiking, Gan Enrichment activities inspire and excite our students. Specific enrichment offerings are based on the seasons and the evolving interests of Gan students.
Typical School Day
Each Gan day begins by welcoming students through gathering, song, ritual, and communal connection. Over the course of any given morning, Gan students play outside, hear stories, build and create, engage with a variety of artistic media, have a nourishing snack, and, most importantly, play! Children collaborate with their peers and teachers, testing hypotheses and constructing knowledge. Jewish rituals, songs, and values are also part of everyday life in the Gan. Following lunch, children in the Gan part day program go home, while children in the full day program settle in for nap or quiet time. Following nap or quiet time, children have a second snack and a chance to conclude their day through goodbye rituals with their teachers and classmates.
Gan Parents Association
The Gan Parents Association (GPA) is a community building organization, and all GAN parents are members. Throughout the year, the GPA hosts events to foster a sense of community, encourages parent participation in classrooms, shows appreciation for the teachers and administrators, and promote a joyfully jewish atmosphere. If you have any questions about or for the GPA, please feel free to email AdasGPA@gmail.com.
