22 January 10 • 2019
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wo significant gifts, one by
the Samuel and Jean Frankel
Jewish Heritage Foundation
and the other by the William
Davidson Foundation, are paving the
way for a major addition to Hillel Day
School’
s Early Childhood Center for
children ages 18 months to 5.
This fall, the 15,000-square-foot
center at Hillel will align with the rest
of the campus, which was renovated
over the last several years to advance
skills in communication, collaboration
and creativity through a project-based
learning approach that involves the
integration of disciplines and STEAM
activities. The ECC will include state-
of-the-art learning suites, a central
square or kikar for large gatherings,
a kitchen, a large indoor playscape,
teacher workspaces, and an outdoor
playground and garden.
“The expansion of the early child-
hood education program at Hillel
benefits our entire Jewish communi-
ty,” said Darin McKeever, president/
CEO of the Davidson Foundation.
“More children will be able to begin
their Jewish education in their pre-
school years, establishing their Jewish
identities within a community com-
mitted to religious and academic
excellence.”
Hillel’
s expanded ECC will be
licensed for 180 students, up from
140. “I feel honored we will be able to
educate more Jewish children,” said
Robin Pappas, director of early edu-
cation. “We’
ve had a wait list for the
last three years, and we will no longer
have to turn away families.”
For a preschool that opened in
2010 with 69 students, the expo-
nential growth is a promising sign
that despite a decline in the Jewish
population of Detroit over the last

decade, there is a growing demand for
high-quality Jewish early childhood
education options. The Hillel pre-
school is accredited by the National
Association for the Education of
Young Children and has received a
four-star rating from Great Start to
Quality in Michigan.
“We know from demographic stud-
ies and our own wait list that there are
more Jewish preschool students who
could enroll in a program like ours,”
said Steve Freedman, head of school.
“We are confident a larger ECC will
result in increased enrollment in the
K-8 program.”
Pappas says the renovation “comes
from a journey following best prac-
tices in Jewish early childhood edu-
cation.”
In May, Pappas and three teach-
ers will take a study trip to Italy to
immerse themselves in the Reggio
Emilia approach to learning — from
a Jewish perspective. This approach
emphasizes a child’
s environment with
access to natural materials, hands-on
activities and multiple points of view
in a setting that values the mind and
creativity of each individual child.
“The ECC is an exceptional pre-
school that partners with us on our
family’
s desire to raise passionate,
kind, inquisitive and independent
children who are proud to be Jewish,”
said parent Amye Charfoos of
Huntington Woods.
An official groundbreaking ceremo-
ny, open to the community, will take
place at the Farmington Hills school
at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16.
“Our donors are truly second to
none,” Freedman said, “when it comes
to their commitment to Jewish edu-
cation and to a strong and vibrant
future in Jewish Detroit.” ■

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in
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GABRIELLA BURMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Rendering of the Gross

Motor Skills Center at

Hillel Day School

FIELDING NAIR INTERNATIONAL

School Expansion

Philanthropists direct funds to aid
growth of Hillel’
s youngest students.

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