Early Childhood

Joyce Ashkenazy, Director
jashkenazy@melvillejc.org

Liaison: Daryl Neuman, Kimberly Petrizzo

Melville Jewish Center Early Childhood Program is a New York State Accredited Preschool with a warm, nurturing and accommodating environment. Children are given the opportunities to grow and develop at their own pace, develop their own identity and experience relationships with both children and adults.

Our teachers are trained and qualified early childhood educators who are skilled at developing a program that is multi-sensory with age appropriate units and themes. The curriculum is filled with many hands-on, stimulating and enriched activities incorporating math, science, language arts and social science which teach and reinforce all the skills necessary to build strong foundations for future learning. In addition, we provide a foundation for a strong, positive, Jewish identity that will instill a pathway into Jewish life and a love for Israel for families seeking an understanding and bond to their Jewish heritage.

Click here to Meet Our Teachers

Each child’s intellectual, emotional, social and physical development is of primary importance to us. Every attempt is made to know the children as individuals and by observation to assess their needs and plan for their growth within the program. Our classroom environment will help develop the child’s sense of stability, responsibility, self motivation, creativity and curiosity, which are prerequisites for a successful and happy life.

Effective communication between parents and our staff is essential and critical to the development and well being of the children. We have many programs geared to the changing needs of our families. Our programs include parent & me classes, separation classes, before and after school care, after school activities as well as a twos, threes and fours program. Our enrichment classes include a music specialist and a movement specialist. Two playgrounds and a big indoor gym provide places for our children to socialize and interact daily. In addition to the beautifully decorated classrooms in the Rabbi and Rochelle Shapiro Educational Center, our students visit our comfortable library which reinforces important literary development.

To reach Joyce, please call (631) 421-3224, ext. 24 or e-mail jashkenazy@melvillejc.org.

Grown Up & Me and Separation classes forming now for Fall 2022!  Click here for more info on these classes.  We are also introducing new classes in Fall 2022 for Infant & Me.  Click here for information on those classes geared towards infant to 9 months.