Susan Sims Bodenstein Preschool

About

Our small, nurturing preschool in Venice serves children ages 2-5. It is our intention to foster a nurturing environment of open-ended exploration, curiosity and growth that deepens our connections to Judaism, the community and the world around us.

Story

Our educational vision is based upon emergent curriculum principles. As a school community, we are committed to values based on an image of children as curious, competent and capable of co-constructing knowledge. Our journey begins as our staff asks questions, listens to children, collaborates with them and documents their work. As children discover and explore, they may work on investigations that may last a few days to a few months. All projects must be meaningful to them and their world. By creating a classroom environment that allows for open-ended learning and discovery, we give children a chance to express themselves and understand their world. We also believe that learning is a cooperative venture that includes other children, their teachers, their families and our larger community. Literacy, math, social studies, science, music and arts are all emphasized through a framework of hands-on experiences.

The Preschool at Mishkon serves children from two to five years of age. We provide a warm, nurturing environment influenced by Jewish traditions, where children can develop to their fullest potential. We treat children as unique individuals and support, guide and stimulate their social, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, creative and physical growth.

Our children internalize Jewish values and traditions through Shabbat observances and the celebration of all Jewish holidays, including:
• Jewish songs, Israeli dances
• Hebrew vocabulary
• Stories
• Jewish moral development
We maintain a low child-teacher ratio (6:1 in preschool, 3:1 for toddlers). Our ratios enable teachers to facilitate children’s exploration of art, dramatic play, literature, music, science, math, and cooking by helping them to engage in developmentally appropriate activities. Responding to the developmental needs of each child, we support younger children as they develop independent toilet learning skills.

We provide materials that vary in complexity and diversity, providing challenging opportunities for all children to develop skills and understanding. Children require years of play with real objects and events before they develop the ability to understand the meaning of symbols, such as letters and numbers. This learning takes place through interaction with others; children learn with all senses and through experimentation. As children’s understanding of concepts and language skills gradually develop over their first few years, they acquire an understanding of more abstract and symbolic information. We provide a variety of enriching books and literacy-related materials, such as finger puppets, flannel board stories, and tools for early writing. Further avenues for creative symbolic expression are opened through a variety of paper, water-based paints, markers and other materials. The learning experience is rounded out with outdoor play on large muscle equipment, field trips, undertaking classroom responsibilities and problem-solving opportunities with both children and adults. Our environment includes learning materials and interest centers which serve as the core of our curriculum. Additionally, we offer enrichment experiences in music and yoga once a week

Mission

The Preschool at Mishkon's mission is to support the development of happy, caring and productive human beings by providing:
• A nurturing environment for children
• Support and education for families
• A stimulating learning and social atmosphere based on developmentally appropriate practices