Project-Based Learning
Our Executive Leadership Team is hard at work building our own proprietary Project-Based Learning curriculum which includes developmentally appropriate, engaging and child-centered teaching that involves a dynamic approach to learning where young children acquire a deeper knowledge of concepts through active exploration of real world challenges and problems. Children creatively and collaboratively solve concrete problems through the guidance and facilitation of experienced and caring early childhood educators in a spirit of fun, passion, and joy!
We blend academics and Jewish life together for children to internalize the reality that Torah truly is…life. Math isn’t separate from Godliness, and scholastic performance is meaningless without strong character.
And the end result we’re aiming for is confident, happy, responsible young adults who are eagerly equipped to shine their own unique light and make the world around them a better place.
Academics
Our project-based learning system is designed to create the highest standards in literacy and numeracy outcomes for kindergarten readiness.
Mathematics: Looking at the calendar each day is a wonderful way to introduce math concepts to our youngest students by learning to count and recognize numbers from 0-31. Colors, shapes, months, seasons, and daily phrases in both English and Hebrew are introduced during this time and used throughout the day.
Language Arts: Preschoolers will be introduced to daily journal entries. Special projects will be done that correlate to the letter of the week introducing new words and developing hands-on skills for fine motor development.
Art
MMA offers a Fine Arts program that introduces our preschoolers to artists throughout history. The children learn about multiple styles of art throughout the year and create artwork that is inspired by those artists and styles.
Music
Music class will introduce different types of music and break it down to identify the rhythm and tonal patterns of the songs through sing-a-longs, dancing, instruments, and nursery rhymes. Your child will learn basic music competency that will help them move toward primary music competency and the ability to play a musical instrument such as the piano or violin. Songs will be introduced in English and Hebrew. Covers areas of fine and gross motor skills, mathematics, emotional skills, language, and art.
Organic Garden
MMA Preschool students will take care of their own organic garden. This will introduce them to gardening and the science behind it. Students will learn the importance of composting, sustainability, how to plant, the cycle of growth for plants, and how to build, maintain and care for a garden. Covers areas of fine and gross motor skills, mathematics, language, and science.
Click here for a summary of the many research-backed benefits our gardening curriculum.
Continuity of Care
One of the things we will be preparing to launch in 2023 will become the heart of the MMA ELC: our Primary Caregiver Program, based on the Attachment Theory. Pioneered by leading researchists in the fields of Human Psychology and Early Childhood, the theory shows that young children need to develop a relationship with at least one Primary Caregiver (PC) for optimal social and emotional development. Children carry the lesson they learn about the nature of trust with them for the remainder of life. For this reason, we strive for continuity of care.
As much as possible, our children will have the same PC for their time at MMA ELC. We carefully select staff who understand the importance of their relationships with children. MMA PCs start out with our three-year-olds and travel the entire preschool journey with the same group of children, focused on nurturing special relationship with the child and their family.
Parents contribute to a Sustainability Fund each year that allows us to minimize teacher turnover and attract amazingly qualified, gifted, and loving teachers. In turn, this allows our children to learn more and travel further in their development, because less time is needed each year to develop new bonds between teachers and students.
