EDUCATION
More Than
Paint Paste
Detroit's Jewish nursery schools teach
children how to be good Jews and
well-rounded individuals.
HEIDI PRESS
News Editor
ix-year-old Brian Kloc
likes to play "monsters"
at the Temple Emanu-El
Nursery School. Justin
Schwalb, 4, likes to paint
and color. Emily Baker, 4, likes play-
ing in the playhouse.
At the Shaarey Zedek Nursery
School, Julia Tapper, 4, likes to paint
trees because "in Israel they make
olives." Four-year-old Halli Tarockoff
likes to cook and meet new kids.
Aside from playing, painting,
singing, cooking and other fun-time
activities, children in Detroit's Jewish
nursery schools also are taught about
the Jewish community and the world
at large.
Nursery school programs exist at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Adat
Shalom Synagogue, Temple Israel,
Temple Beth El, Temple Emanu-El,
Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel
Moses, Jewish Community Center,
Congregation B'nai Moshe, Akiva
Hebrew Day School, United Hebrew
Schools, Workmen's Circle, Jewish
Community Center of Ann Arbor,
Yeshivath Beth Yehudah and Chabad
Lubavitch.
The directors of these schools have
formed an association, the Michigan
Jewish Association for the Education
of Young Children. Meeting about five
times per year, the association hosts
workshops and seminars for teachers
to keep them abreast of developments
in education. In addtion, it acts as a
calendar clearinghouse and a place
where teachers can discuss common
problems or share ideas.
"It's a way for us to link together,"
said Janet Pont, director of Shaarey
Zedek's nursery school. "We can all
learn from each other." A random
42
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 1989
Katie Triest and Jamie Rosenthal don smocks for their painting activity.
sampling of directors of Detroit-area Yeshivath Beth Yehudah, where the
Jewish nursery schools, among them elementary school is so crowded that
Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and closet space is being used as a
secular, recently discussed their pro- • classroom, the nursery school also is
grams and objectives.
outgrowing its quarters.
The schools have typical nursery
Temple Israel's nursery school
activities, including storytelling, arts and kindergarten director, Bryna
and crafts, music, cooking and free Leib, said she needs more space for
play. In addition, each has a Shabbat children to participate in motor ac-
celebration and holiday observances, tivities. Plans are in the offing for the
during which children learn ap- temple to add a whole wing of
propriate prayers, songs and rituals. classrooms.
Although each of the nursery
Shaarey Zedek is trying to main-
schools had near-capacity tain enrollment at its Southfield site,
enrollments and healthy budgets, where young families are leaving for
many face the challenges of space the northwestern suburbs. This same
limitations, maintaining enrollment movement has caused a decline in
and keeping up to date on teaching enrollment at the 37-year-old UHS
methods and materials. At the nursery school, director Carol Gale
noted. At the same time, public
schools are presenting another pro-
blem for the UHS nursery. They are
establishing pre-school programs "at
rates that private nursery schools
(such as UHS) can't afford," she said.
Workmen's Circle, a secular
nursery school, finds that its lack of
day care is a threat to its enrollment.
"We don't do day care," administrator
and program director Rena Amit ad-
mits. "We don't have the facilities to
do day care." But, she added, "we're
trying to be more flexible next year."
- Joy Kaplan hopes she can keep up
with the times. "We want to be con-
tinually growing in what we're pro-
viding for children, keeping in step
with the times and giving a good
basis:' the Temple Beth El nursery
director said.
The co-directors of the Temple
Emanu-El Nursery School,
Michaelyn Silverman and Rena
Cohen, said their challenge is helping
children and their families who have
experienced their school to retain
their Jewishness. "I really feel it's
keeping couples who have young
Jewish children involved and comfor-
table in the Jewish community,"
Silverman said. "We hope they'll keep
their Jewish feeling after nursery
school."
Parents play an important role in
Detroit's Jewish pre-school programs.
At Temple Israel and Yeshivath Beth
Yehudah, parents are invited to come
in to talk to the children about their
jobs. Parenting workshops are con-
ducted at the yeshivah, Ibmple Israel,
Shaarey Zedek, UHS, Workmen's Cir-
cle, Temple Beth El and at Temple
Emanu-El, among others. Nursery
directors welcome suggestions and