JCC College Avenue News

By Nikki Henry

The staff and I would like to thank Pam Young and Randy Eisen for hosting the Teacher Appreciation event in May. What a great way to let the teachers know how much they are appreciated! I would also like to thank Shana Levin and Erika Shemberg for volunteering to help out at the event, the parents who stayed late and helped out in the classrooms and our Early Childhood chairs, Stacy Beckman and Kim Carroll-Pincus. It was a fun way to end the school year!

Speaking of the end of the year, I am amazed at how fast the time has flown by. This was my first year as the director at the College Avenue site and I have enjoyed working with the staff and families. I knew that during my first year I had to concentrate on getting to know the program and finding ways to enhance what we have already developed. As many of you know our program is "play based" which means that the children learn through play. In addition to our Judaic curriculum our core educational curriculum was created so that we meet the Content Standards for the State of Ohio in Math, Science, Literacy, and Social Studies.

Next fall we are going to enhance our program by adding Creative Curriculum to our classrooms. Creative Curriculum is based on the latest research on how children learn best and has been shown through experimental and quasi-experimental studies to improve classroom quality and promote school readiness for preschool children. It is an excellent tool for program planning and for analyzing and documenting child progress.

During orientation the teachers will be learning more about Creative Curriculum and how they will be implementing it into their classroom next fall. By adding Creative Curriculum to our program it not only enhances what we already do at the JCC, but will keep us current in the latest Early Childhood field.

Congratulations to Kim Moore - our newest Shehechyanu Award Winner!

Kim has been a valuable part of the ECS team for five years and has touched the lives of many of our families. Her very first little ones are "graduating" from our program this year! Kim goes "above and beyond" for the children in her care and for her fellow staff members. She makes portfolios and DVDs for her students, plans fun and creative projects, does all the laminating for our staff, plans potlucks to boost morale, and makes sure everyone is recognized on their birthdays! We are all very proud of Miss Kim!

Upcoming Events and Activities

• June 4 - End of the Year Family Picnic.

For More Information

For more information on any JCC College Avenue Preschool or Summer Camp activities, or to register for the 2009-2010 school year, contact Nikki Henry or Sherie Mescher at (614) 231-2731.