Welcome to the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago’s progressive concept in early childhood education; where children grow intellectually and socially in a loving Jewish environment. As a lab school, The BJE Early Childhood Centers’ (BJEECC’s) curriculum is based on the most current research findings in the field of child development, early childhood education, family education, and Judaica.
The BJEECC’s have been developing and providing quality Jewish preschool education since 1972. Our experienced educators are highly trained in both secular and Jewish early childhood education. Our preschool curriculum has been recognized nationwide for its content, materials, and scope. In our quest to be current with the latest in early childhood educational innovations, we have incorporated the Reggio Emilia system of learning into our progressive concept of Jewish early childhood education.
The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on recognizing that the young child has many ways of expressing himself. Our teachers tap into these ways to actively engage the child in learning. Project work, where the teachers and children are involved in extensive interactive, thought provoking discussions, stimulates the children to learn and problem solve in a group setting. This method of learning respects each individual child’s ideas and is key to involving each child in the larger group experience. This process encourages dramatic growth in the child’s ability to express himself verbally and artistically, as well as solve problems independently and in group settings. We have found that this in-depth approach to projects has resulted in a stronger sense of Jewish identity and positive self-esteem in children. We actively embrace the Reggio Emilia approach as we continue to integrate all the best educational theories of Piaget, Erikson, Dewey and Vygotsky.
We carefully plan our programs to reflect the changing developmental stages of children in each age group. We realize that a child’s needs expand and progress as they mature, and we make certain that these needs are met.
Our programs are designed to:
Each child within our day care program will be part of their age appropriate preschool class, will be included in all enrichment/extended day programming, as well as enjoy breakfast, snacks, and/or hot kosher lunch with their friends. Our highly trained BJE professionals will be hands-on throughout the day to implement the very best learning experience for your child.
BJE Early Childhood Centers are family oriented preschools. We welcome families from a wide spectrum of Jewish life and encourage parents, grandparents, and other extended family members to participate in any and all of our family events. In addition to regular contact with each child’s family, we schedule at least two full parent-teacher conferences and a telephone conference early in the year for each child in the pre-school. Of course, ongoing communication between parents and teachers is always encouraged.
To learn more about how we can impact the future of your child, please contact Rebecca Anisfeld at our Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah Center.
Phone: 847-256-4507
Fax: 847-256-3225
Email: Rebecca@bjechicago.org
To read more about our centers go to bjeecc.info.
