Our Preschools
A joyful start, a lifelong impact
Books, visuals, activities, and resources to explore with your kids
- Early Childhood Matters 2025: Stories, visuals, and ideas for joyful learning.
- PJ Library Jewish Values Guide: Books and conversations to grow Jewish identity.
- Gateways Shabbat & Feelings Resources: Visuals and tools to help kids express and connect.
- JDAIM Kids’ Inclusion Tools: Jewish disability inclusion starts young. Here’s how.
- Stories for Life’s Big Changes: Picture books that help kids handle transitions and feelings.
Tools, guides, and support for parenting
- Choosing a Jewish Preschool: What to ask. What to notice. What really matters.
- Early Learning & Care Guide: Break down the funding, build up the confidence.
- Parenting Tips Blog: Screen time, sleep struggles, and what works now.
- Zero to Three: Tools for those earliest years—and all they hold.
- Positive Parenting Programs: Research-backed, real-life tested. Start here.
Before your tour: Confirm that the school’s hours, location, sick policy, and tuition work for your family.
During your visit: Look around, ask questions, and trust your instincts. Consider:
- Is the school warm and welcoming?
- Are teachers actively engaged with the children?
- Is the space filled with meaningful activity and learning?
- What’s displayed on the walls—student work, schedules, values?
- How do you feel when you walk in? When you leave?
- What is your school’s educational philosophy?
- What does a typical day look like here?
- How do you communicate with families?
- How are families involved in the community?
- What is your teacher-student ratio?
- How do teachers help children resolve conflicts?
- Can I speak with a current parent?
It’s okay to feel overwhelmed—this is a big decision. Talk it out with a partner, friend, or trusted parent. Keep notes, trust your instincts, and remember: you’re doing great.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Enthusiastically praised by parents and professionals around the world, Faber and Mazlish’s down-to-earth, respectful approach makes relationships with children of all ages less stressful and more rewarding.
Mind in the Making
by Ellen Galinsky
In spite of the overwhelming amount of information, there is very little research-based advice for parents on how to raise their children to be well-rounded and achieve their full potential, helping them learn to take on life’s challenges, communicate well with others, and remain committed to learning. These are the “essential life skills” that Ellen Galinsky has spent her career pursuing, through her own studies and through decades of talking with more than a hundred of the most outstanding researchers in child development and neuroscience.
Elevating Child Care
by Janet Lansbury
A collection of 30 popular and widely read articles from Janet’s website that focus on some of the most common infant/toddler issues: eating, sleeping, diaper changes, communication, separation, focus and attention span, creativity, boundaries, and more.
The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee
by Wendy Mogel Ph.D.
Sharing stories of everyday parenting problems and examining them through the lens of the Torah, the Talmud, and important Jewish teachings, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee shows parents how to teach children to honor and respect others. Parents will learn to accept that their children are both ordinary and unique, and treasure the power and holiness of the present.
The Secrets of Happy Families
by Bruce Feiler
In The Secrets of Happy Families, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler has drawn up a blueprint for modern families — a new approach to family dynamics, inspired by cutting-edge techniques gathered from experts in the disciplines of science, business, sports, and the military.
- Berman Hebrew Academy Preschool
- Beth El Preschool
- Beth Emeth Early Childhood Center (BEECC)
- Beth Sholom Early Childhood Center
- Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School (Preschool Program)
- Early Childhood School at B’nai Shalom of Olney
- Gan Ami at Temple Beth Ami
- Gan Kol Shalom
- Greenzaid Early Childhood Center
- Ohr Kodesh Early Childhood Center
- Rabbi Joseph Weinberg Early Childhood Center (Washington Hebrew Congregation)
- Shaare Torah Early Childhood Center
- Simcha Educational Center
- Silver Spring Learning Center
- Sherman ECC at Har Shalom
- Temple Shalom Early Learning Center
- Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Center
- The Gan Montessori
- Tikvat Israel Early Childhood Center
- Adat Reyim Preschool
- Agudas Achim Preschool
- Beth Emeth Early Childhood Center (BEECC)
- Chabad / Gan Israel Preschool (Chabad of Northern Virginia)
- Congregation Etz Hayim Preschool
- Gan Teva at Ner Shalom Outdoor Preschool
- Gesher Jewish Day School (Preschool program)
- Olam Tikvah Preschool (OTPS)
- Pozez JCC-Beth El ECLC
- RUJEC (Rosie Uran Jewish Education Center)
- Temple Rodef Shalom Early Childhood Center