Curriculum

All of our classes feature loving and experienced teachers, wonderful children, and engaging hands-on activities. Our integrated curriculum and developmentally appropriate approach to learning encourage curiosity, creativity and confidence. Our emphasis on social and emotional development allows us to foster an environment filled with caring and sharing. Our small class sizes allow us to support the social, emotional and physical growth of each and every child.

 

Here are some of the distinguishing characteristics of our program:

 
  • Low teacher-student ratios.

  • An age-appropriate balance between structured time and free play. A typical day includes circle time, music, expressive movement, creative art, reading, every-day math, center time, outdoor time, collaborative explorations and ample time for imaginative play!

  • Engaging activities organized around themes such as dinosaurs, outer space, insects, construction, gardening, safari animals, colors, shapes and family.

  • Plenty of time for outdoor activities on our spacious wooded playground.

  • Learning about kindness and tzedakah (justice and helping others). Our customary tzedakah projects include a used book drive, a canned food collection and a lemonade stand to benefit childhood cancer research. Every Friday we collect contributions for PORCH-Durham, a program which provides backpacks filled with food to children in need.

  • The community celebration of Kabbalat Shabbat. Every week, we come together to sing, light the candles, bless the wine (grape juice) and eat challah.

 

Safety

As at any school or public institution, safety has become an increasingly important consideration in recent years. Beth El Preschool is dedicated to providing a safe, secure environment for ALL students to learn, play, and grow. As such, we have created an emergency procedures plan, have an annual safety week in which we cover a variety of age appropriate safety topics, require all of our staff to be CPR and first aid certified, and perform appropriate drills so that students will be prepared in the event of an emergency. For question about safety and security at Beth El Preschool, contact the preschool Director.