Temple Beth El Child Development Center

I have never had an issue with this school what so ever! My son attended from the age of about 18 mo., he is 4 years old now and he will be in the TK class offered. My daughter, 7 mo, is now attending the school. I sought out a bunch of schools/​day cares before I fell in love with this one. They have a huge, shaded playground and super helpful staff. Although this school is on a jewish temple sight, I did not feel any religious presence in the school, besides to recognize the different holidays. I would absolutely recommend this place!

Trudy has been very helpful

My daughter was at this preschool for a full school year and I can’t say enough positive things about the school, teachers, staff, and curriculum. The entire experience was excellent. I feel fully confident my child is prepared to excel in Kindergarten next fall thanks to Temple Beth El CDC and thanks to her amazing teachers Mrs. Lampers and Mrs. Woods! They were so kind and dedicated — I will be forever thankful!
First of all before enrolling I did my research and also toured various preschools/​day care centers. Like all parents I wanted the best for my child and I found the perfect fit here. Although they are next to Temple, they are non-​demominational school, and they were one of only a couple schools in the area with national accreditation through NAEYC, which means they have to go far beyond the minimal requirements in order to educate young children. Class size was smaller than average, about 16 – 18 kids in her class with 2 teachers. Younger kids had more teachers with lower student: teacher ratios. Plus her class had 2 college student interns assisting half the year, which meant she got a lot of individual attention.
Academically, they offer a very hands-​on, interactive, and engaging environment for the kids. The class had different stations, or areas with separate activities: like a kitchen/​pretend market for pretend play; a reading corner; an art table for drawing, painting, beading, stamping; an area for playing with blocks, legos, or building puzzles; a science area for weighing rocks, or measuring leaf lengths, etc. They practice writing and recognizing letters and numbers, learn to write their names, and learn songs, rhymes, opposites, counting to 100 by tens, etc.
Socially, the kids participate in individual and group activities and are encouraged to be cooperative and to be helpers. Every morning kids are assigned rotating tasks, whether it’s changing the date on the calendar, line leader, helping set out snacks, helping prepare snacks on Cooking Days, or helping hand out lunch pails to their peers at lunch, etc., they are learning to help and participate. They are also taught good habits: for example, they must wash their hands when they arrive and before snack and mealtimes, which also helps reduce the spread of germs and sick kids.
Physically they get monitored outdoor time daily, except for very hot or rainy days. They have water play days in summer. And they also encourage a healthy lifestyle through the snacks they provide mid-​morning (for all kids) and mid-​afternoon (full-​day kids), always healthy and kid-​friendly foods from 2 different food groups. Examples: goldfish crackers and cheese, pineapple chunks and wheat thins, diced pears and juice, tortilla and turkey, bagels and cream cheese, cereal and milk, nilla wafers and banana slices, broccoli and yogurt, etc. Lunch must be sent from home. They have a well structured daily routine with nap time after lunch, plus an optional gymnastics class called GymKids for an additional fee with a performance at the end of the school year.
PROGRAMS offered include:
Half Days 9 am — 12:30 for ages 18 mo.-30 mo. Toddlers, Two’s-Young Threes, Threes, & Pre-​K 4’s.
9 am — 1 pm for Transitional K.
Full Days for all of the above 6:45 am — 6 pm
Custom schedules available too.
You can also choose Monday — Friday. Or Mon/​Wed/​Fri. Or just Tue/​Thu.
PRICES depend on age & enrollment days/​times. But when I enrolled they were the least expensive compared to other programs of this caliber. To give you an idea: a Pre-​K 4, Mon-​Fri, Half Days pays $ 114/​week in 2015. $ 145 for a half day 18 – 30 mo. toddler. $ 182/​wk for Pre-​K Full Day. $ 225 for toddler full day. Again these are only 2015 prices.
Parental involvement is encouraged and they offer lots of activities for both kids and parents throughout the year, including: parent-​teacher conferences, field trips, dress-​up parades, picnics, potlucks, class parties, student concerts, book fairs, picture day, Fun Days (silly hair day, pajama day, occupation days.) and many others! We loved attending all, starting with the Back-​to-​school BBQ & Open House in summer. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re considering the school. They let you tour the classrooms and you can meet the teachers. You can also request a classroom tour by contacting Tanya in the office. She is super nice and helpful! The administration also uses emails and an app called LifeCubby to keep parents up to date on your child’s assessment results, weekly lesson plans, monthly snack calendar, and newsletters with important dates/​events.
I know this looong review passed essay and reached epic novel status but I wish I’d had detailed info when making my choice — hope this helps other thorough, results-​oriented, and research-​happy parents like me!