ECC Blog

At the Early Childhood Center (ECC) here at Beth Tikvah we believe that each child is special and unique, coming to school with their own set of experiences, feelings, and characteristics. We understand and recognize that each child needs a safe and secure environment in which to learn, thrive, and grow. With this in mind, we provide a warm, enriched and developmentally appropriate environment tailored to meet the needs of each child with his/her own abilities and talents. To further enhance each child’s growth, our qualified teachers establish relationships with parents as part of our efforts to promote open communication between families and staff. This serves as a key to a successful early childhood experience for each child.

The Beth Tikvah Early Childhood Center, integrates both secular and Judaic values in our curriculum through traditions and themes. We believe that it is important for children to be instilled with these concepts. Also as part of our philosophy, we believe that each child should be respected for who they are. Therefore, we integrate their ideas and input into our daily class work to give importance to their cognitive skills. While doing this, our teachers ensure that every child’s interest and learning style is appreciated and nurtured.

In the ECC, we provide a caring environment that encourages children to develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and cognitively. Our children are able to visit the sanctuary, play on a beautiful and secure playground, use an indoor large motor room, and experience the classroom environment to gain exposure to the idea of bringing Jewish values to life during their time in the class with us. There is an option of an extended day, beginning immediately following preschool with lunch and enrichment classes.

We offer our Shalom Chaverim class to experience and celebrate Shabbat on Friday mornings. This class is designed for infants to 24 months with an adult. Preschool begins with our 2-year old class on Wednesday and Friday; the 3-year old class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and the PreK class five days a week. During the summer we have a summer camp program three days a week. Tuition assistance for your child’s first year of school is subsidized by the Jewish Federation.

To ensure the quality of our program, we hold and maintain an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) license, a certificate of food handlers training, and First Aid and CPR certificates. Our school was chosen to be part of Chicago Early Engagement Learning Initiative (CEELI), as well as part of CFJE’s Chicago Jewish Directors Council.

While many preschool programs insist your child must be toilet trained to attend their school, no child must be toilet trained to go to school here at the ECC.
If you are looking for day care, several of our ECC parents use a home day care provider that drives children to our school and picks them up when school is over. These parents would be happy to talk to you about that option.

Please email me at preschool@beth-tikvah.org or call me at (847)885-4545 x107 for more information or to schedule a tour. I look forward to meeting you and your child.

Ellyn Weisz

ECC Director