Nursery School Philosophy

The most important developmental task for a child between the ages of two and five is the discovery of self.

The child asks:

Who am I?
Where do I fit in the world?
Can I trust the world?
Am I good?

The VBS Nursery School works in partnership with Jewish families to help children answer these fundamental questions in a way that provides a strong foundation for future growth, learning and happiness.

The Nursery School seeks to create an individual who...

...knows and likes himself or herself - a child who knows that he or she is loved, and has a special place in the world, in our community, and in our lives.
...loves learning - a child who has cultivated a sense of wonder and the joy of discovery - a child who has the confidence to take risks, to try new things and new ideas - a child who is ready for more formal learning experiences as he or she matures.
...has a strong identification with Judaism and the Jewish people - a child who appreciates the role of Judaism in daily life - a child who feels connected with the school community, the synagogue community, and through them, with the Jewish community.
...respects all people and values differences among people.

The Nursery School seeks to create families who...

...are partners with the school in the education of their children - recognizing that they are the primary role models and educators of their children.
...participate actively in Jewish life, at home, in the synagogue and in the larger community.
...participate in a school community, caring for other families.

To achieve these goals, our nursery school embraces certain specific principles of child development:

...We recognize that young children have their own special ways of learning and experiencing the world.
...We acknowledge that each child learns at his or her own individual pace, and in an individual style.
...We acknowledge that the school must teach the total child - emotions, cognition, physical development, social development, spiritual development. The three most important tasks of early childhood education, which continue throughout life, are: separation and the achievement of autonomy, language acquisition and communication skills, and socialization.
...We acknowledge that young children learn in concrete, tangible ways - much more through their fingers than through symbolic forms.
...We recognize a partnership between school and family to create healthy, happy children.

In the learning environment of our school, children are taught in small classroom groups to insure a sense of belonging in this first step outside the family. There is a high ratio of adults to children in order that children receive responsive attention and support. Daily activities include a balanced program of indoor/outdoor, quiet/active, teacher-directed/child-directed, and planned/emergent experiences.

Classrooms are filled with abundant hands-on material, encouraging exploration, creativity, building, fantasy, and communication. The weekly program includes ample involvement of classroom parents, synagogue's rabbis, and music and movement specialists.

The Nursery School follows the yearly cycle of the Jewish holidays. Each week is highlighted by the Friday Shabbat celebration.

Jewish values and concepts such as the synagogue, tzedakah, Israel, care for the elderly are also part of the curriculum.

The teaching staff is specially trained in child development and early Jewish education. The staff is committed and stable - many of our teachers have been with us for more than a decade. The staff is warm, nurturing, creative, and displays a diversity of cultural backgrounds.

The staff is especially open to communication and sharing with parents.