Gan Katan (Pre-K)

Gan Katan (Pre-K) at Gesher is a full-day program designed for 4- and 5-year-olds to nurture their emerging academic and social skills.

Through play-based learning activities, we create opportunities for students to explore, collaborate with peers, share discoveries, and grow as inquisitive learners. We inspire children’s curiosity, constantly encouraging them to ask questions, take guided risks, and solve problems.

Our approach develops children’s social and emotional skills and their emerging independence.

Academics

Our curriculum is built on an interdisciplinary approach to learning in which language arts, social studies, math, science and Hebrew are woven together naturally throughout the day. Through play-based and hands-on learning, teachers guide students to develop skills as early emergent readers, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers. If you would like to learn more about our curriculum, please click here.

Movement and Creative Play

Learning is carefully designed to ensure that students have the opportunity to move their bodies and exercise their minds through centers and hands-on learning experiences. Children are natural learners; the Gesher classroom and outdoor facilities ensure our learners grow through play and hands-on exploration.

Jewish Life & Learning

Gesher students joyfully discover and celebrate Jewish Holidays, Shabbat, and other rituals. Using all of our senses, we touch, taste, listen, move, and sing to connect deeply to our Jewish heritage. Please click here to learn more about our Jewish Values at Gesher.

Hebrew Language Integration

Hebrew is infused throughout every aspect of the day. The acquisition of a second language expands our children’s developing minds, deepens our students’ capacity to connect to Israel, elevates the study of core Jewish texts and values, and provides an anchor for developing an integrated Jewish identity.

Social-Emotional Learning

Throughout our school, students and teachers use Responsive Classroom to create safe and joyful learning communities in which students can grow and develop both socially and academically. Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to education that focuses on the strong relationship between academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL). The Responsive Classroom approach empowers educators to create safe, joyful, and engaging learning communities where all students feel a sense of belonging and significance. By practicing the skills required to interact with peers and adults in healthy ways, students develop their own abilities to make kind, appropriate, and honest choices.