- 1500 Hagys Ford Road, Penn Valley, PA 19072
- (610) 667-5000
- hzt@harziontemple.org
Click here for information about the Har Zion Day Camp and to register for the 2024 Summer session
MISSION STATEMENT
The Noreen Cook Center for Early Childhood Education of Har Zion Temple provides excellence in Jewish early childhood education. We ensure a safe and nurturing environment that promotes the Judaic, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of young children. At the same time, we respond to the needs of their families. A developmentally appropriate program for our young learners and their families is the foundation for the ongoing development of a curriculum, for our Rose and Joseph Schimmel Preschool and our Har Zion Temple Kindergarten that integrates Judaic values into everyday life experiences.
The Noreen Cook Center is committed to meeting nationally set standards of excellence in early childhood education.
The keys to the success of our program are promoting discovery, encouraging imagination, and fostering self-esteem.
The Noreen Cook Center provides:
The Noreen Cook Center is a comfortable place where our children and families feel a sense of belonging.
Shalom Chai: A fabulous experiential program without parents for children 18-24 months as of September 15th. We have a choice of a three or five half-day program with or without staying for lunch as well as five full days available. This class is designed to promote toddlers physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. Through many hands-on experiences such as art, cooking, music and creative movement, little ones are helped to feel good about themselves and the world we live in. In the most important area of social development, we hope children will gain skills in sharing, interacting with other children and adults and cooperating. Our curriculum includes units in areas closest to the children, for example, Jewish holidays, seasons, family, feelings.
Garinim (Seeds): Your child must be two years old by September 15th. We have a choice of a three or five half-day program with or without staying for lunch as well as five full days available. For our youngest children, we provide a warm, nurturing Jewish environment where children learn to discover the magic of the world around them and take pride in their accomplishments. Children enjoy adjusting to the routines of school.
Children explore areas closest to them, for example, Jewish holidays and values, seasons, family, food and nutrition, and feelings. We encourage children to gain skills in sharing, interacting with other children and adults, cooperating and toilet training. We emphasize development of fine motor skills through coloring, tearing, gluing, using playdough and building with blocks. Gross motor skills like jumping, dancing and balancing are developed, as well as verbal language skills.
Shorashim (Roots): Your child must be three years old by September 15th. Classes meet five half days with or without staying for lunch, five full days, or three half and two full days. This program is designed to help children master the essential skills they need to develop a positive self-image and exhibit continued emotional, social, and academic growth. Our children are guided to participate in hands-on craft experiences, cooking, creative movement, and music. Language becomes an exciting means for communicating ideas and feelings as written language becomes more important in the life of the classroom.
Our child-centered curriculum includes learning about Jewish holidays and values, Shabbat and Havdalah, the seasons, shapes, colors, the senses, animals, weather, under the sea, transportation and community helpers, to name a few!
Prachim (Flowers): Your child must be four years old by September 15th. Classes meet five full days, or two half and three full days. Children are encouraged on an individual basis to grow and develop in the variety of ways. It is a year filled with personal growth, curiosity, and independence. This program offers a wealth of reading and math readiness, as well as bi-cultural education. Language becomes an exciting means for communicating ideas and feelings. Our child-centered curriculum includes learning about Jewish holidays, mitzvot, Israel, the seasons, shapes, artists, colors, the senses, nutrition, the community, nature, and much more!
Har Zion Kindergarten
Kindergarten-Gan (Garden): Your child must be five years old by September 15th. A full day state licensed multi-faceted program providing Kindergarten children with an excellent bi-cultural Judaic and Secular education. Staffed by gifted, warm and caring teachers, our program provides for individual differences but encourages maximum growth for all children. Our children learn to try their best while still feeling comfortable in an environment that supports developing new skills. Our kindergarten program encourages children to become autonomous learners.
The goal of the Kindergarten Language Arts curriculum is to help all children develop a love of literature, in all its form, and to encourage all to feel successful as readers, writers, and communicators, regardless of their developmental level. We provide an extensive exposure to the alphabet and phonemic awareness. Children are read to every day and are exposed to a wide range of materials. Students also have daily writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and thinking opportunities. We introduce and expose our children to phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, which are the five components to literacy success.
Social Studies and Science come alive in our Kindergarten. Children learn to be sensitive to, respect and care about themselves and others while learning about cultures different than their own. Our science program incorporates a hands-on discovery approach. Children experience a wide range of science activities using their five senses. They learn science concepts by observing, classifying, measuring, collecting, predicting and experimenting.
The primary goal of our Mathematics curriculum is to enable children to use math through exploration, discovery, and to solve meaningful problems. Math activities are integrated with other relevant projects in science, social studies, and language arts. The children work with a variety of manipulates such as unifix cubes, teddy bear counters, and pattern blocks. Graphing, patterning, number correspondences, time, counting, set making and measurement are only a few of the basic math concepts our children learn to understand. Daily counting activities culminate in a celebration on the 100th day of school.
The Judaic area of our program is of tremendous importance to us. Building on the foundation established in our preschool, we continue to provide experiences that promote a positive Jewish identity and sense of commitment to ideals and practices of our Conservative Movement. Daily prayers, blessings and Hebrew vocabulary are taught through song and story within the context of everyday life as it is experienced throughout the Jewish year. Children are involved in Jewish learning through hands-on happy experiences with each Shabbat and holiday.
Weekly Programming:
Science Zoom Dance
Yoga Music
Shabbat Havdalah
Program Hours:
Morning Session 8:45 – 12:00
Lunch Care 12:00 – 1:00
Afternoon Session 1:00 – 3:05
Full Day Session 8:45 – 3:05
Extended Care: Early care (7:30 – 8:45am) and/or late care (3:15 – 5:30pm Monday through Thursday) are available yearly or as needed.
Kids’ Knowledge College: An after school enrichment program geared to children enrolled in our preschool and kindergarten programs.