Tehiyah Bridge Kindergarten - A Place to Grow
and Flourish
- Full day
program; five days a week
- Outdoor
biology/ecology curriculum
- Joyful
Jewish learning
- Free
enrichment classes
- Home-like
setting; meals provided
- Bus
service & after-care available
Tehiyah
Bridge Kindergarten provides a developmental play-based program
which meets the needs of the whole child – socially, emotionally,
cognitively, artistically, and physically. Our Bridge-K is structured to assist
the child who has completed a preschool program but may not be quite ready for
kindergarten. For these children, who need the gift of an extra year to play
and explore, we offer a supportive and nurturing space to learn and grow.
Our
goal is to prepare children for the demands of a kindergarten classroom while
instilling a joy of learning and strong sense of community. Through an emergent
(child-directed), hands-on curriculum, children’s curiosity is fostered in an
environment imbued with Jewish culture and values. We celebrate the unique
gifts and challenges each child brings and help children become strong and
self-confident.
Children are Natural Scientists
At
Tehiyah Bridge Kindergarten, children explore language arts, science, math,
Judaic studies, and social studies through the lens of ecology and conservation.
We employ an emergent curriculum allowing children a deep exploration of
interests.
Children
participate in:
- Organic
gardening
- Hands-on
science projects in our outdoor science lab
- Regular
field trips to nearby regional parks
- Cooking projects
- Literature-based
language arts activities in Hebrew and English
- Singing
songs, writing plays, and creating works of art
- Hands-on
math explorations
Through
their experiences, students develop problemsolving and
critical-thinking skills, respect for our environment, conflict resolution
skills, self-confidence, respect for diversity in all its forms, and the realization
that they can make a difference in the world.
From
the first day of class, children begin to learn what it means to be part of a
caring community. Jewish values and holiday celebrations are used to teach
important social and emotional skills as well as cement friendships and
connections. We recognize the diversity within our community as well as what we
have in common. Our program helps children develop the skills and
self-confidence which are needed to be a productive member of a group and a
successful kindergarten student.
About Us
At
our Bridge-K, each school day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Extended care
is available from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 5:30 p.m. and is included in tuition.
Tuition also includes specialty classes in drama, music, fine arts, and
storytelling, school bus transportation (if needed), as well as daily snacks
and hot lunches. Classrooms are filled with the sounds of children singing and
learning in Hebrew and English, and each week begins with havdallah
and ends with kabbalat shabbat.
We
are located at 6305 Barrett Avenue in El Cerrito – next door to Tehiyah’s main K-8 campus and across the street from Tassajara
Park. Bridge-K students will benefit from a cozy home-like setting and 1:6
teacher ratio, along with the opportunity to “buddy” with older Tehiyah
students and be part of the richness of our larger community.
A Rich Tradition of Excellence
Founded
in 1979, Tehiyah has provided consistently high-quality education to a
generation of students. Our graduates have gone on to become remarkable young
men and women.
Our
Bridge-K director, Susan Danek, holds a B.S. in
biology from Stanford, a M.A. in marine biology from San Francisco State, as
well as an ECE certification in early childhood development. She has worked
with young children since 1990 – first as the director of the
four-year-old program at Children’s Community Center for nine years, and then
as the kindergarten teacher at Crestmont School
– a position she held for 10 years. She brings her passion for science,
her deep knowledge of early childhood education, and her love of children to our
program.
Join Us!
We
are eager to enroll children ready for our highly stimulating program. Children
must be five-years old by February 15 of the year they apply (or by special
exception), and consideration is given to children whose older siblings attend
Tehiyah Day School.
Our
formal admissions period occurs in January and February each year. Offers of
enrollment go out in March. A waiting list is maintained for occasional
openings, which may occur throughout the school year.
Information on how to apply
to the Tehiyah Bridge Kindergarten, as well as copies of the Tehiyah Bridge
Kindergarten Application, and Teacher Recommendation Form are available on this
page of the website as downloadable PDF files.
Questions
can be answered by calling the admissions office at 510.233.3013, ext. 239 or
emailing Amy Utstein, Admissions Director, at
autstein@tehiyah.org.
We
look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the Tehiyah community!
