Jewish Preschool in San Francisco CA

Congregation Beth Sholom Jewish Family Preschool:
The Jewish Family Preschool and Parenting Center of Congregation Beth Sholom is located on 14th Avenue (corner of Clement Street) in San Francisco, and offers high-quality, innovative secular and Jewish education for children and their families. We provide excellent teacher to child ratios, experienced, nurturing and highly qualified staff, clergy participation in Shabbat service and other Jewish holiday celebrations, access to resources and programming of Congregation Beth Sholom, child development specialist available for individual consultation and a resource library.

- For children aged 2 - 5, half & full-day program options with extended care.
- 11-month school year (September - July).

Also:
- Additional music, art, dance and movement programs throughout the year.
- Parent and Me classes for parents and infants and parents and toddlers.
- Parent education workshops and parenting programs.

Our program respects the developmental stages of young children, and seeks to enable children to:

- Develop a sense of pride and love for their Jewish heritage
- Know that they are competent and loved
- Expand their ability to recognize and express feelings appropriately
- Increase their sense of independence and self control through decision-making and problem solving
- Develop creative and critical thinking skills
- Increase language skills to express ideas, questions, and need
- Develop muscular coordination and physical skills
- Take pride in mastering and completing tasks
- Build friendships with other children and gain maturity through the ability to resolve conflicts
- Explore and discover their world while experimenting with different materials
- Acquire a love of books

Each age and stage of development has its own integrity. Young children learn about themselves and their world through everyday experiences. Our child-directed curriculum provides a framework that invites children to observe, make choices, and experiment, thus developing a sense of competence and initiative.

Although our program is informal and flexible, the curriculum is carefully planned and based on the principle of organized free choices. The classrooms are set up by the teachers to guide children toward specific learning goals. Within this structure, children are free to use materials in their own ways, move at their own pace, and select their own experience. Such learning is not inhibited by a teacher's established concepts of completion, achievement or failure. We focus on developing the child's critical and creative thinking skills, not on their memory.

Our teaching staff is trained in techniques of conflict resolution and constructive communication, and they are constantly aware of both individual and group needs.