2015 / 2016 Informational Handbook 25725 COOLIDGE HIGHWAY— OAK PARK, MI 48237 TEL: 609-666-2474 WWW.AISHDETROIT.COM  [email protected] 8 Mission Statement: At Ahava Early Childhood Center, we recognize that a child’s time at preschool helps shape their perspective of the world, Hours and Pricing: For Ages 16 months (and walking) by September 1st - 4 years old Full Day Options 9:00am—3:30 pm Half Day Options 9:00am—12:30pm Latchkey Options high quality programming which recognizes the uniqueness 3 Full Days $4,538 3 Half Days $2,960 Morning 7:00am—8:45am of each child in a warm, stimulating and safe environment 5 Full Days $7,230 5 Half Days $4,725 Afternoon 3:30pm—5:00pm of others and most importantly, themselves. By providing we lay the foundation to develop each child’s love for learning, concern for others and sense of empowerment. Understanding that children learn actively and experimentally, we Early bird special- $300 of if enrolled by April 1st use a hands-on approach in our curriculum. In order to foster a strong Jewish identity and a love for Judaism we use Jewish themes as the basis of our whole curriculum. For scholarships and before and after care pricing please speak to the director. Our goal is to work with each family to work out the best plan for their needs. At Ahava ECC your child will gain a love for learning, for Judaism and all the essential skills that will help them succeed far into the future. 2 7 School Calendar 2015—2016: Curriculum: School runs from September 2nd through June 9th The most formative years of a child’s life are the first five years. The majority of their brain development as well as a large percentage of the development of their emotional health, social skills and self confidence occur in the birth-through-preschool years. At Ahava ECC we take this very seriously. We have developed a program that not only provides excellence in academic preparation for future schooling but we also focus on proper development of social, emotional, language and cognitive skills in a warm and child focused atmosphere. September 14-15 Rosh Hashana September 22 No Afternoon or Afternoon Latchkey September 23 Yom Kippur September 28-29 Succot October 5-6 Simchat Torah November 26 Thanksgiving Dec 24—Jan 1 Winter Break April 22-30 Passover/Spring Break (this will replace the Berkley calendar spring break) June 12-13 Shavuot Children with high self esteem and self confidence are more likely to succeed in life. At Ahava ECC we pride ourselves in an Individualized Learning Method. Each child is unique and learns at a different pace. Using our Individualized Learning Method we are able to work with each child at the pace that best suits his or her development. All the children learn the classroom units together, and then at different times throughout the week each child gets one on one time with the teacher. This also allows our teacher to really get to know each child and can cater to their individual needs. When a child competes against himself and sees success, this begins the foundation for true self confidence. Our comprehensive and developmentally appropriate educational program is designed to promote the growth of the child in the following areas: cognitive, social, emotional, personal responsibility, language skills and in addition, for the older children, reading readiness, introduction to writing, science and pre-math skills. All of the activities used in the classroom are skill based and goal oriented. We use proven methods such as ZOOPHONICS, HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS, and many MONTESSORI materials. Our warm and experienced teachers will bring learning and Judaism to life using many different methods. Our goal is to keep the children engaged and to target the different modes of learning. The teachers will cover different units throughout the year, which will be reflected in all the classroom activities. For example, the Jewish holidays, the four seasons, the five senses, and the world around us. 6 3 Daily Schedule: Social & Emotional: The classrooms are comprised of learning centers which include life skills, creative arts, dramatic play, reading, manipulative and scientific discovery. These centers allow for child-led exploration and active learning. Each of the centers has a specific purpose and was designed to help with the different areas of development. We take a holistic approach to education. While the academic preparation is important, there is much more to the success of a child. Our teachers actively work with the children to identify and understand their feelings, and ways to express them constructively. There is a learning center in our classroom called the Safe Place. We use it to teach self-regulation and to give children a space to transform their negative feelings into learning. The children are also welcome to visit the Safe Place if they just need a quiet space. The Safe Place includes bean bags, calming tools and feeling buddies to help themselves work through their emotions. Circle time is the point in the day when the bulk of the teacher-led learning takes place. Through repetitive songs, music, movement and storytelling, the children will be introduced to the new unit and continue to review it every day. In the older classroom, this is the point when the letter of the week is covered as well. Children are taken outside (weather permitting) or to the gross motor room every day. This encourages gross motor, hand-eye and body coordination. The children spend time in the art room once a day. All the art and cooking projects reflect the current units (and letters) that are being taught in the classroom. Every Friday the preschool Rabbi, Rabbi Da-vid, joins the children for an interactive Shabbat party. The preschool director joins the children once a week to explore the Hebrew language through interactive and engaging songs. We also focus on helping the children understand the difference between right and wrong, developing a sense of responsibility, and to respect the rights and privacy of others. They are encouraged to recognize that people are different and to be accepting of others. We spend a lot of time helping them learn to communicate effectively with others. Our curriculum offers a wide variety of learning methods. There is a fine balance in creating a cohesive group in the classroom as well as individualized learning. When the correct balance is struck and the various areas of the curriculum are truly developmentally appropriate, it is then that children begin the process of building an enthusiasm for learning, a confidence in their ability to succeed and a deep foundation for a positive Jewish identity which will serve them throughout their lives. There is a big focus on routine and structure in order to create a sense of security and a base for future success in a classroom. 4 5