Our Philosophy and Approach 

No other preschool can match our combination of caring, experience, dedication and expertise. We start with enthusiastic teachers who love children and love to teach; then we provide them with extensive training and continuing education. Our team of specialists is always adding new curricula based on the latest research — all to ensure that your child is having the best possible learning experience.

In fact, recent studies have confirmed what JCC has known for years — preschool children learn best through active exploration, rather than through drills, workbooks, or memorization. So, instead of rows of desks and homework... visualize your child making friends during circle time, learning new words in a story, counting colors while finger-painting, lighting Shabbat candles, experimenting with make believe, clicking icons on the computer, examining with a magnifying glass, playing hop scotch on the playground.

What's good fun to a preschooler is actually a carefully planned approach to help your child develop the social, emotional, physical, spiritual and academic skills so essential for school and for life.

Preschool is offered at the following locations:

Buffalo Grove: Jacob Duman JCC at Woodland Commons
Chicago: Florence G. Heller JCC, Bernard Horwich JCC
Flossmoor: Anita M. Stone JCC
Glencoe: JCC at Am Shalom
Hoffman Estates: JCC at Beth Tikvah Congregation
Lake Zurich: JCC Preschool at Lake County Campus
Northbrook: Bernard Weinger JCC, JCC "Z" Frank Apachi, JCC at Beth Shalom
Skokie: Mayer Kaplan JCC Children's Center

Registration & Site Information

Our Preschool Curriculum

We have developed nine content areas to help children build the knowledge and develop the skills and attitudes necessary for kindergarten readiness and later school success. These content areas are based on national and state education standards as well as the guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Chicago-based Kehillah Jewish Early Childhood Accreditation Project.

Here's a sample of what you can expect your child will learn and experience.

Jewish Learning
Jewish values and practices, holidays, Hebrew vocabulary, Israel, Shabbat and Torah

Social and Emotional Development
Making friends, solving problems, sharing, expressing feelings and thoughts, respecting others, following routines

Literacy
Vocabulary and language, phonological awareness, letters, words, print, comprehension, books, and other texts

Mathematics
Numbers, patterns and relationships, geometry and spatial awareness, measurement, data collection, organization, and representation

Science
The physical properties of objects, living things, and the earth and the environment

Social Studies
How people live, work, get along with others, shape and are shaped by their surroundings

The Arts
Dance, music, dramatic play, drawing, and painting

Technology
Computers and their basic operations and uses

Fitness and Well-Being
Healthy kosher snacks, exercise, and time outdoors

JCC teachers integrate this curriculum content into a combination of meaningful learning activities that address the unique needs of each age group. In addition, our teachers use every learning experience as an opportunity for expressing and imparting Jewish values and traditions.

The preschool day is filled with what we call "teachable moments," opportunities to tease out a fact, practice a skill, encourage appreciation, or introduce a new word. Connecting Jewish words, objects or values with your child's natural curiosity is a simple extension of this process. As a result, children gain a deeper sense of their Jewish identity and an awareness that they belong to a diverse and dynamic Jewish community.

In The Classroom

Values in Action
Our teachers are involved with your child every moment of the school day; instructing, interacting, guiding, observing and assessing. They also take the time to discover what's unique and special about each and every child, because we believe children need to feel accepted and appreciated in order to thrive.

Our classrooms are communities for children of all backgrounds set within the context of the Jewish calendar. Teachers establish a structure for each day, including a daily schedule, because young children depend upon routines to help them organize and master a world full of new ideas, sensations and challenges.

As children begin to understand the rhythms of Jewish life at the JCC, they take to the pleasures of Jewish routines as effortlessly as they take to the taste of sweet grape juice and challah each Friday when preparing for Shabbat in class.

In fact, the Jewish calendar is full of ways to teach children how to stay in touch with their natural sense of wonder. We say a blessing, point out the beauty of the holidays, or acknowledge the first falling leaves of autumn, to help your child frame a spiritual moment.

The Learning Environment
The classroom itself is well-organized with labeled materials that invite children to explore and discover. We know preschoolers learn best when they are having a good time, so we've designed the physical space of the classroom with clearly defined interest areas where children can do what they like to do most-have fun!

Dramatic Play / Sand & Water / Computers
Blocks / Music & Movement / Library / Art
Toys, Puzzles & Games / Discovery / Outdoors

The interest areas subdivide the classroom into spaces that accommodate a few children at a time where they can best concentrate in a small-group setting. Children also have several opportunities to work in large groups and independently. In addition, preschoolers spend time outdoors every day running, jumping, climbing, and playing on the playground because outdoor play is just as important as time spent in the classroom.

Reasons Why Families Trust JCC

A Team of Experts Behind Every Teacher
Your classroom teachers are part of a multi-disciplinary team of Jewish and secular education experts and social service specialists who contribute to your childÕs successful preschool experience. This support team provides ongoing professional development for teachers and regularly reviews the curriculum to ensure that all facets of our program reflect the most  state-of-the-art approaches to early childhood education. Our psychologists, social workers and speech and language therapists work with families so that we are able to meet the needs of children with differing abilities.

Parents as Partners
At JCC, parents are welcome, informed and involved! To keep you up to date about your child's progress, we distribute e-mails, newsletters and notes about your childÕs preschool day and we schedule regular parent-teacher conferences. In addition, our teachers and Directors are always available to discuss questions about your child or the classroom.

Wonderful Directors
Each JCC Early Childhood Services Director is both an experienced, professional educator with an academic degree in Early Childhood Education or a related discipline and a capable administrator able to meet all of your family's needs.

Cleanliness, Safety and Security
In addition to secure buildings and classrooms, we provide a learning environment where children can be safe and healthy, yet free to move around, explore and experiment both inside and outside the classroom. Our staff continually assesses conditions to prevent children from injuring themselves and others while following hygienic procedures to prevent illness.

Lunch and Enrichment Classes
You can extend the learning and fun for your preschooler with lunch and afternoon enrichment classes. Children bring a bag lunch (dairy or vegetarian) to enjoy with their friends and teachers following class. Sports, music, fitness, fine arts, dance, cooking, science and drama are among the wonderful enrichment classes offered after lunch each afternoon. 

A World of Opportunities at the JCC
Families from all backgrounds come together to enjoy cultural, recreational, social, educational and Judaic programs throughout the year at our full-service community centers, day camp sites, the Perlstein Resort and Conference Center and at Camp Chi, our overnight camp. As a JCC Preschool family, you will receive special invitations and information about the JCC Community beyond the classroom.

Preschool Options

Transitional Class (24 months by September 1)
- Parent/caregiver attends with child for first semester
- Child and parent/caregiver are introduced to preschool routine and activities
- Process for healthy parent and child separation begins
- Child and parent/caregiver build trust and autonomy
- Child attends independently in second semester

2 1/2 year-olds
- Nurturing teachers provide age-appropriate activities
- Children's growing abilities, interests and needs are addressed daily
- The curriculum encourages exploration and discovery through the senses
- Early literacy is promoted through letter recognition, stories, rhymes, songs and writing
- Children learn about themselves, their feelings and about others

3 year-olds
- Children trust their teachers, make friends and feel part of the group
- Children demonstrate improved listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills
- Children learn number concepts, patterns and relationships and shapes and structures
- Children move from solitary activity to work in small and large groups
- Children participate in balanced learning activities: individual/group, indoor/outdoor, child-initiated and teacher-directed

4 year-olds
- Children's vocabulary and language, phonological awareness, comprehension and writing skills become more advanced
- Children understand and follow directions, concentrate on and persist at challenging tasks
- Children increase ability to compare, contrast, sort, classify, count, measure and recognize patterns
- Children master increasingly sophisticated physical tasks
- Teachers create a direct link for children between the preschool experience and successful kindergarten transition