Preschool
The Dora L. Lewis Family & Child Development Center offers fully licensed preschool and childcare programs
serving children ages 2 –5. The preschool has been accredited by NAEYC since 1987. Preschool classes meet
2, 3 or 5 days per week for two-year-olds, and 5 days per week for children 3 – 5 years old. Extended childcare
programs are available 1 – 5 days weekly.
For more information or to get involved, contact Donna Peters, Early Childhood Director, at 804-545-8617 or [email protected].
Open and Diverse Community
Though we follow Jewish tradition, families
of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome
in our preschool and community.
Parents Get Involved
Members of the Early Childhood Committee
(ECC) are parents of preschoolers and help
guide the school in making policy decisions
and in planning special events. The Early
Childhood Committee meets once a month
in the evening. The Preschool’s Parent
Group Association (PGA) is the branch of
the ECC responsible for early childhood
fundraising and community service projects
that raise funds to enhance the preschool,
the playground and programming. The ECC
is comprised of parents of preschoolers and
the Early Childhood Directors.
The Importance of Connecting
Children to Nature:
The Weinstein JCC Early Childhood
Department strives to create authentic
outdoor spaces for children to interact with
nature and to freely run, climb, dig, collect,
pretend, take risks, create and safely explore
the world around them. Exposure to nature
enhances children’s observation and problem
solving skills and will help them to value
their relationship with each other, their
communities and the world at large, while
also fostering their own personal spiritual
growth and sense of self.
An Ethical Start
–Value Based Teaching
The preschool program provides a unique
curriculum for the teaching of ethics to young
children. An Ethical Start™ is based on the
text of Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, a
tractate on the classic Jewish text on ethics.
Through study of the text, teachers find ways
to weave lessons on responsibility, dignity,
kindness, community, tradition and respect
throughout each child’s day.
Classrooms Alive with
Investigation, Collaboration
and Creativity
Inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach
enhances the very heart of our programs,
which provide an experience that shapes not
only children’s knowledge and skill, but also
their attitudes about learning and intellectual
curiosity. This is a journey that the children
and teachers take together, requiring the
teachers to connect with their children’s
interests and follow their lead as they explore
the world around them indoors and outdoors.
Check out other fun recreation classes for your Preschooler in the activity-related sections in this guide!
The Weinstein JCC Early Childhood program is supported in part by:
The Edward J. Becker Family Preschool Children’s Endowment Fund, the Margarete Hirsch & Suzanne Hirt
Preschool Children’s Endowment Fund, and Dora L. Lewis Child Development Fund
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Weinstein JCC | 2018 Fall Activity Guide