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Early Childhood is a critical time for children to develop their identity. Our Early Childhood Center provides each child with an environment created to stimulate curiosity, which in turn ignites learning and imagination. Our Judaic curriculum is multidimensional and joyful, helping to instill in each child an invaluable lifelong love of learning and community, which preserves our Jewish heritage.

Jewish education provides students with a "lab-like environment" to learn, explore, and apply Judaism to real life! Classrooms reflect the real world both in content and social development so that when students leave the classroom and grow up into Jewish adults they understand in their kishkas that Jewish life and values permeate the world.

In our early childhood center, Jewish education is specifically designed to embrace both child and parent, Jews and non-Jews, all of whom find a welcome place in our school and community. Jewish education provides a ritual language for families to express their common values as well as explore the unique ideas that Judaism has added to our world. The school embraces the values of respect and exploration, discovery and acceptance as families form their religious lives. 

Jewish education provides a language through which our members can understand the world, express what is in their hearts, form relationships with other members of the community and with God, and gain access to a rich treasury of wisdom and insight.  Jewish education is a portal to a richer life that is grounded in the sacredness of a land and people and encompassed in the holiness of time.
 

As a Jewish school, our distinct challenge is to root our students in the joy and responsibility of Jewish learning, belonging, and practice and to enable them to learn from, contribute to, and creatively interact with the traditions, cultures, and values of our larger society. At the same time, to fulfill our mission as a Jewish school, we need to constantly ask ourselves: how do we cultivate our distinctive Jewish gifts with the most positive elements of our larger culture in order to refine the soul, renew the Jewish people, and repair the world? 

To be a Builder of Jewish education a person must be innovative, think outside of the box, and be passionate about learning. Being Jewish means access to thousands of years of wisdom while interpreting the tradition to innovate for tomorrow. Our VBS students learn today to lead tomorrow and they are more successful because of the pride they develop in their Jewish heritage and the Jewish imperative upon them that they can make a difference starting today! 

Learn today. Lead tomorrow. At VBSDS, Judaism roots all that we learn and teach. Being Jewish means access to thousands of years of wisdom while interpreting the tradition to innovate for tomorrow. Our students learn today to lead tomorrow and they are more successful because of the pride they develop in their Jewish heritage and the Jewish imperative upon them that they can make a difference starting today! Ancient Torah speaks its voice and we answer its call to learn and lead, today and tomorrow.

Our Etz Chaim Learning Center values the importance of creating a Jewish community for students who attend secular schools. We are committed to giving students a chance to experience and “do Judaism.” This happens in the classroom, yard, tefillah, shirah, family programs, school programs, holidays and Synagogue events. We strive for our students to leave our school as confident and knowledgeable individuals. We want our students to go out in to the world with a strong Jewish identity and seek out organizations or groups that represent their values.

Growing roots and wings. The Valley Beth Shalom Early Childhood Center is committed to nurturing young children and supporting their families through Jewish tradition, wisdom and values. We partner with families to provide a safe and loving community to create a more just, enlightened and peaceful world. Our commitment to tikkun olam resonates in all that we do, and permeates our curriculum, our relationships and our responsibility as Jews.