How is Pre-K Going?

Over the summer DJDS had decided to implement a pre-K into their current lower division. This has been an idea for many years– Avi Hazel, DJDS Head of School and CEO, along with many others agreed it was time to achieve this “dream.”

The COVID-year kindergarten class is a small group, only big enough to fit one classroom. The school used the extra classroom to make the pre-K. 

Over the years, Avi Hazel has been brainstorming ideas about the growth of school admissions. Upon hearing the suggestions of others, he noticed that adding a pre-k was an overwhelming success among Jewish day schools across the country. 

“Everybody that has a preschool at their independent school said the best way to grow your school is to bring the funnel into your school,” Halzel said.

The school started advertising the new pre-K last year, but Avi explained “We did not have teachers highered [and] we did not have a room we could show them because it did not exist.” 

In addition, the school did not have a playground that fit the requirements for the pre-K. “As an independent school, we are not subject to most regulations that public schools are, and that is not the case for four-year-old [and] three-year-olds,” Halzel said. 

The school decided to remedy the problem by building a playground. The new playground was built over the summer and cost the school around $200,000 to build. 

The class consists of nine students and has taken one of the two classrooms previously occupied by the third grade. 

As the pre-K reaches its halfway mark, it seems to be going well. “It has been great so far… the kids are happy and I think they are learning and I think everybody has been growing in a great direction,” said Merideth Pryor, one of the two pre-k teachers.

The new pre-K also is convenient to the teachers who teach at DJDS, whilst their children go to pre-k. “We moved him here because it was convenient but then I was really really happy about the move because the school’s so awsome and the pre-k is so great,” said Channah Schwied, a Upper Division Judaics teacher at DJDS. 

“I like the community that I am a part of, I like the people that I work for, I liked the idea of starting a brand new program,” said Ali Weinberg, one of two pre-K teachers. 

Along with that, the students have been loving pre-k as well. “I like playing with friends,” said Vanessa Wohlauer, a pre-k student. Another pre-k student, Ryan, says his favorite part is a cat stuffed animal named Mango.

While the pre-k may have been a gamble, it turned out to be a success in the end both for the school and the students.