Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation Preschool, Reston

Inspired by Jewish values, we cultivate inquiring minds, nurture compassionate hearts and develop joyful communities NVHC Preschool offers a warm and loving environment for the youngest members of our community. It is our teachers who make this possible through their enthusiastic and loving commitment to education and your children. Our program offers a balanced play-based curriculum of enrichment and academics. Through music, art, stories and celebrating holidays, we provide the building blocks for a lifetime of learning. It is the mission of NVHC Preschool to give each child a solid foundation for growth based on Jewish values and the academic and social skills they need for future success. It is our belief that preschoolers should be exposed to many experiences. To this end we offer Yoga and Zumba as part of our curriculum, along with weekly music instruction. We also offer an extended day program that includes Tae Kwon Do, art and JumpBunch, a sports and fitness program for young children. Music is an important part of the NVHC Preschool week. Miss Nell (Hirsch) spends time with each age level teaching songs and incorporating dance, tactile skills and movement for a joyous learning experience. We understand our responsibility in preparing your child for kindergarten. Our pre-k teachers understand the expectations of kindergarten and slowly move the children toward an easy transition throughout the year. Along with introducing writing skills using the Handwriting without Tears program, they encourage critical and creative thinking, independence and problem solving. During Shabbat services (on Fridays), Miss Nell, with the help of Rabbi Holzman or Cantor Caro, teaches Shabbat, Jewish holiday, Israeli and Hebrew songs. It is a joyous time filled with instruments, rainbow streamers, stuffed Torahs and much more pulled from her teaching box. At NVHC Preschool, we understand that the parental experience is just as important as the childs experience. This is often the first time parents have entrusted their child to others. We use a multi-faceted approach in communicating with parents including monthly calendars, teacher phone calls, emails, emergency announcements and weekly updates from your childs teacher, the Director, and sometimes the music teacher! During the summer months, NVHC Preschool offers a Summer Camp program that includes that all-time favoritewater play! In order to assure the well-being of all our children, NVHC Preschool is nut free. NVHC is pleased to offer our Preschool families a special membership rate that affords our preschool member families all the rights and privileges of regular membership as well as discounted tuition. Bnai Mitzvah The occasion of your child becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a very special time for you and for our congregation. While there are many days in the lives of our children which are filled with pride and joy, this moment in Jewish life enables and encourages us pause to appreciate the awesomeness of your child taking an honored place in shalshelet ha-kabbalah, the chain of our Jewish tradition. Yet as memorable as our Bar/Bat Mitzvah experiences can be, we do not see the Bar/Bat Mitzvah experienface as a climactic graduation in ones Jewish education. NVHC encourages lifelong learning. Through general activities and in our Kehilat Limmud studies, our children are challenged to make their Jewish identity take flight! We know you will also enjoy your childs participation in the Confirmation service in 10th grade. We know you realize that to instill true pride and depth in ones Jewish identity; all of these experiences require reinforcement in the home. Becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah is much more meaningful if you are doing mitzvot (commandments) with your child. We heartily encourage your participation in social action projects, family learning opportunities, congregational worship, blessings at your Friday night Shabbat dinners, observance of holidays, travel to Israel and Jewish communities around the world. Kehilat Limmud Kehilat Limmud is designed to engage students in a learning experience that challenges critical thinking through total engagement. Students learn through the arts, using cooperative learning, project-based methodology, and inquisitive learning methods. Our program is based on the belief that students learn best in a synagogue community environment when they work together and both teach and learn from one another. We have eliminated standard classroom teaching in favor of group learning that depends more upon a variety of learning materials and methodology than a total textbook emphasis. Teachers have been trained to create a classroom environment that embraces a social-emotional learning atmosphere.