The core goal at our preschool is to imbue our students with Love of Torah, Love of G‑d and Love for His People. To accomplish this goal, the Ganeinu educational philosophy is rooted in a profound respect for each child as a special individual with a unique form of intelligence. By synthesizing both the progressive Montessori teaching methods and the enduring modes used by successful Jewish preschools, we strive to follow the words of King Solomon to “guide each child on his or her own path”.
· Ganeinu strives to educate the Whole Child: a primary goal is to help each child reach full potential in all areas of life. The curriculum, under the direction of trained teachers, provides the resources and atmosphere for exploration and discovery. It allows students to experience the joy of learning, promotes the development of self-esteem and inner discipline and fosters respect for one’s self, for others, and for the environment.
· The “Prepared Environment”: In order for self-directed learning to take place, the whole learning environment– including the room, materials and social climate-must be supportive of the learner. The room is aesthetically attractive, clean, neat , organized and orderly. The activities are purposeful and modified to meet the changing needs of the students. The teacher thus gains the children’s trust, which enables them to try new things and build self-confidence.
· Characteristics of the Materials: The materials reflect the kinds of activities that children enjoy and go back to repeatedly. They include a number of multisensory, sequential, and self-correcting materials that facilitate the learning of skills and lead to learning of abstract ideas. Each task is an isolated activity. All materials indirectly prepare for something else.
· The Teacher: The teacher functions as a facilitator of learning. As such, she is a designer of the environment, resource person, guide, role model, demonstrator, and observer and recorder of each student’s behavior and growth.
