Educational Philosophy

At the Franklin Lakes Jewish Preschool we draw our inspiration from the Reggio approach to education and from our knowledge of developmentally-appropriate educational practices. We know that children's brains are elastic and our goal is to stretch their minds and inspire them through tangible experiences and concrete learning. Piaget once stated,"Knowledge is not given to a passive observer; rather it must be constructed by the activity of the individual." Accordingly, our curriculum is based largely on students' interests and curiosities. Our children learn science, math, social studies, literacy, the arts, Judaic studies, and moral values through an integrated approach to education. Our goal is to nurture each child's personal journey towards social, emotional, and educational growth.

Therefore, our curriculum offers differentiated motivational stimuli to enhance individual growth and progress,while students engage in collaborative activities. This gives us the ability to inspire them to become lifelong learners with an insatiable quest for knowledge and understanding of their world.

We enthusiastically embrace one of the most important tenets of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education - that the environment is the third teacher. Children thrive and develop most optimally in a beautiful, natural environment that reflects their interests and work while also reflecting the ambience of home. The colors, furniture, trees, flowers, objects d'art and natural elements all contribute to the preservation of the sense of wonder, curiosity, and zeal for life innate to all children.

Above all, we prize the culture of compassion, respect, tolerance, friendship, and communal responsibility we have cultivated in our school. Through immersion in our school culture, we trust that our children will absorb these values into their developing characters and exercise them naturally as they successfully steer their way through life.