Program Goals

Gan Avraham is a nurturing, play-based preschool where children ages two through five learn and grow in a warm, supportive community. Our program emphasizes hands-on exploration, creativity, and social development while weaving in Jewish values and traditions. We believe that children learn best when they are encouraged to be curious, ask questions, and discover the world around them through play and meaningful experiences. This approach allows each child to build confidence, develop friendships, and strengthen their sense of identity.

To guide this journey, we set age-appropriate goals that support growth in key areas such as language, early math, problem-solving, fine and gross motor skills, and social-emotional learning. These goals are paired with opportunities to deepen Jewish learning through stories, songs, holiday celebrations, and rituals. The grade-level goals serve as a roadmap for families and teachers, helping us work together to support each child’s unique path of development. Below you’ll find links to the specific goals for each age group, offering a clearer picture of what children typically accomplish by the end of their preschool year.

Kitah Alef: Ages 2–3

Developmental Focus

Building foundational skills in physical, social-emotional, and language development through exploration, sensory experiences, and nurturing connections. Fostering autonomy, self-regulation, and a sense of independence while promoting community building, forming attachments to teachers, and building connections with peers. Encouraging curiosity and wonder through hands-on experiences and celebrating the diversity of Jewish identity and traditions.

Social-Emotional Development

Building Trust and Attachment: Form secure and meaningful attachments with teachers as co-learners and guides, fostering trust and emotional safety.
Self-Awareness and Regulation: Help children recognize and name their emotions, understand body sensations, and practice techniques for self-regulation.
Independence and Boundaries: Encourage self-help skills like tidying up, washing hands, and making simple choices to build autonomy. Teach children the importance of boundaries for themselves and others.
Community Building: Foster a sense of belonging by valuing children’s unique identities and contributions, and by creating a supportive group dynamic.
Creative Expression: Nurture self-expression through art, music, and storytelling, emphasizing the value of individual and group creativity.

Language Development

Expanding Vocabulary: Build language skills by introducing new words through songs, stories, and meaningful conversations.
Communication Support: Promote the use of both gestures and words to express needs, wants, and ideas.
Encouraging Thoughtfulness: Use open-ended questions to encourage deeper thinking, conversation, and self-reflection.
Literacy Connections: Offer books, labels, and storytelling that reflect the children’s lives, interests, and cultural backgrounds, including Jewish stories and traditions.

Cognitive Development

Sensory Exploration: Provide opportunities for hands-on sensory activities like water play, sand play, and texture exploration to inspire curiosity and problem-solving.
Natural Materials and Problem-Solving: Support self-directed exploration with natural and open-ended materials, helping children learn sorting, matching, and categorizing.
Encouraging Independence in Play: Observe and scaffold play, encouraging children to explore, experiment, and develop their problem-solving skills autonomously.

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills: Strengthen physical coordination through activities like climbing, running, balancing, and dancing, encouraging independence in movement.
Fine Motor Skills: Develop precision through creative projects (finger painting, playdough) and practical tools like paintbrushes, scoops, and stacking materials.

Jewish Identity

Hands-On Rituals: Deepen engagement with Jewish traditions through hands-on experiences such as cooking, singing, and celebrating holidays. Introduce ritual objects and practices in a meaningful and accessible way.
Exploring Diversity: Emphasize the richness and diversity within Judaism by highlighting different cultural traditions, stories, and practices.
Belonging and Community: Help children feel part of a larger Jewish community while learning the importance of inclusion and respect for all.
Meaningful Connections: Use Jewish values, rituals, and stories to build relationships with peers, teachers, and the broader community, reinforcing shared traditions and identity.

Kitah Bet: Ages 3–4

Developmental Focus

Enhancing communication, problem-solving, and social cooperation skills while fostering creativity, independence, and self-regulation. Supporting collaboration and deeper inquiry into the children’s growing interests and curiosity. Building on their sense of community, respect for others, and responsibility for their shared environment.

Social-Emotional Development

Cooperative Play: Support children as they navigate cooperative play, helping them engage in group activities and collaborative projects.
Conflict Resolution: Provide gentle guidance to help children resolve social conflicts, encouraging them to use words and empathy to understand others’ perspectives.
Empathy and Collaboration: Strengthen understanding of emotions and perspectives through group activities and projects, encouraging cooperation and mutual respect.
Self-Regulation: Foster independence with routines and strategies like deep breathing and mindfulness. Use visual tools like feeling charts to help children identify and reflect on their emotions.
Respect and Responsibility: Teach respect for peers, teachers, and the environment by involving children in classroom care, cleanup routines, and shared responsibilities.

Language Development

Storytelling and Discussion: Expand vocabulary and narrative thinking through storytelling, group discussions, and role-playing activities.
Pre-Literacy Skills: Introduce rhyming, phonics, and name recognition through playful and engaging activities.
Documentation: Reflect children’s thoughts and ideas through journals, classroom displays, and project documentation, valuing their contributions to the learning process.

Cognitive Development

Early Math Concepts: Support counting, sorting, and pattern recognition through hands-on activities and play.
Problem-Solving: Facilitate problem-solving skills with puzzles, block building, and group challenges.
Inquiry-Based Learning: Encourage curiosity by asking open-ended questions like “What do you think will happen if…?” and providing opportunities for experimentation.
Concept Exploration: Highlight relationships between ideas such as cause and effect or light and shadow through sensory and hands-on experiments.
Open-Ended Materials: Provide diverse materials to encourage creativity, exploration, and construction.

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills: Refine physical coordination with activities like obstacle courses, ball games, yoga, and dancing.
Fine Motor Skills: Develop dexterity with activities like cutting, drawing, and bead stringing.
Collaborative Movement: Foster teamwork through collaborative activities like parachute games and group obstacle courses.

Jewish Identity

Holiday Celebrations: Deepen engagement with Jewish holidays through hands-on activities like cooking, art, rituals, and music.
Storytelling: Introduce age-appropriate stories from the Torah and Jewish traditions to connect children to their heritage.
Connection to Israel: Learn about Israel as an important place for Jewish people through sensory experiences like cooking Israeli foods, music, and dance.
Community and Values: Experience being part of the larger Jewish community and learn names for Jewish values that are central to Gan Avraham’s culture and shared language.

Kitah Gimmel: Ages 4–5 (Pre-K)

Developmental Focus

Preparing children for kindergarten by building on prior learning to foster independence, social-emotional confidence, academic readiness, and inquiry-based learning. Encouraging collaboration, creativity, and self-expression while supporting children in mastering self-regulation, self-advocacy, and complex social interactions.

Social-Emotional Development

Independence and Self-Help: Support mastery of self-help skills like dressing, cleaning up, and serving snacks, allowing children to take responsibility for their needs.
Conflict Resolution and Teamwork: Facilitate sophisticated conflict resolution and teamwork through group projects and discussions, enabling children to advocate for themselves and listen to others.
Growth Mindset: Promote resilience by celebrating effort, persistence, and problem-solving, fostering confidence in their abilities.
Empathy and Respect: Encourage empathy and respect by engaging children in shared experiences, discussions about feelings, and exploring relationships.
Emotional Regulation: Strengthen self-regulation skills, enabling children to navigate a larger, more complex learning environment and practice self-advocacy effectively.

Language Development

Pre-Literacy Skills: Strengthen literacy readiness through storytelling, letter recognition, rhyming, and journaling.
Reflective Expression: Use journaling, drawing, and verbal storytelling to encourage children to document and reflect on their experiences and learning.
Expressive Language: Foster verbal expression during group meetings and project discussions, with teachers stepping back to let children lead conversations and practice sophisticated communication.
Writing Skills: Introduce foundational writing techniques, including freeform writing, tracing, and exploring the relationship between symbols and meaning.

Cognitive Development

Inquiry-Based Learning: Nurture curiosity with open-ended questions that invite hypothesis, observation, and reflection, encouraging children to lead their explorations.
Long-Term Projects: Facilitate in-depth, interest-driven projects that integrate science, technology, and creative thinking (e.g., studying ecosystems, experimenting with light and shadow, or observing plant growth).
Early Math Concepts: Reinforce math skills like counting, recognizing numbers, patterning, and basic addition/subtraction through practical activities such as measuring, cooking, and sorting.
Critical Thinking: Build problem-solving and critical thinking with hands-on activities like puzzles, block building, and collaborative experiments that challenge their growing cognitive abilities.

Physical Development

Gross Motor Skills: Enhance coordination and physical confidence with structured activities like relay races, obstacle courses, and expressive movement (e.g., yoga, dance).
Fine Motor Skills: Refine precision with tools and materials such as scissors, clay, wire, and weaving projects that encourage creativity and skill mastery.
Tactile Exploration: Introduce woodworking and other tactile projects to build dexterity, problem-solving, and a sense of accomplishment.

Jewish Identity

Leadership in Rituals: Build on prior learning by allowing children to take on leadership roles during all-school chapel Shabbat and classroom Shabbat celebrations.
Community and Connection: Deepen their understanding of belonging to a larger Jewish community, exploring how their traditions and values connect them to others.
Cultural Exploration: Continue to engage children with hands-on activities like cooking, storytelling, and music that celebrate the richness of Jewish life and values.