FOCUS ON YOUTH
Federation Star
September 2021
PRESCHOOL OF THE ARTS
41
www.chabadnaples.com / 239.262.4474
Ultimate early childhood experiences By Ettie Zaklos, Preschool of the Arts Founder & Director
S
ince we founded Preschool of the Arts 11 years ago, we have prided ourselves on our ability to give the children who walk through our doors every opportunity for success in learning and in life. Our goal is to not only introduce our students to the wonders of the world around them but open their eyes to infinite possibilities. Every day, we strive to cultivate each of our student’s intellectual, emotional, social and moral potential. The exceptional individualized care that we invest in every single child, from when they walk in the door as a toddler until the day they walk out as a capable and school-ready student, is truly one-of-a-kind. Step onto our beautiful state-of-the-art campus and you are no longer just a face in a crowd; you and your child are important individuals who make up the mosaic of our unique community. Our very successful Summer of the Arts program was bigger and better than ever this year, providing the ultimate summer experience for dozens of young Neapolitans, ages 18 months to 8 years. Offering a treasure trove of customtailored activities, both classic and innovative, the one-of-a-kind program allowed campers to experience summer the way it should be — exciting, relaxing, eye-opening and forever a source of childhood’s best memories. As we approach the new school year, we are not satisfied to rest on our laurels. Every year, we seek out innovative, new resources to make our students’ early childhood experiences even better. This year, we are thrilled to add soccer and yoga to enhance our already extensive special programming, which includes music, visual arts, culinary arts, golf, tennis, basketball, gardening, science, Spanish and Little Explorers. At POTA, we utilize our own educational experts to develop a curriculum
that is exclusively designed for our students. This one-of-a-kind curriculum is specially designed to be implemented in our school using our wonderful resources, such as the Children’s Marketplace, the Nature Playscape, Garden of the Arts and the brand-new indoor and outdoor Studio of the Arts. This year, our pedagogical focus is on project-based learning, a Reggio-inspired technique that builds a thematic learning unit out of the interests of the children. During each learning unit, children investigate and construct things that bring meaning to their study. Children then represent what they’ve learned through art, music, stories, plays or other modes of expression. This method of learning incorporates Florida state educational standards as well as the multiple intelligences approach. As an example, we love celebrating the Jewish holiday season with our students, marking special days and learning all about our beautiful traditions. In keeping with the Rosh Hashanah theme, our school welcomes a local beekeeper who brings in thousands of buzzing bees for an incredible handson experience that teaches the children about bees’ habitats and honey-making ability. The children help extract the honey from the beekeeper’s cylinder and collect it in their very own jar of honey that
they design. Then, using the fresh honey, children get to bake delicious honey cake in our Little Chefs program! Our innovative programs and incredible staff are an open Naples secret, and our award-winning preschool is growing exponentially every year. We are proud to welcome many new and returning students this year, as our classes have reached full capacity, with an eager wait list. It is an honor to provide a top-notch preschool experience for our local Naples children. We are excited for the school year ahead and look forward to sharing our highlights along the way. For more information or to schedule a tour, please call 239-262-4474 or visit our website at www.NaplesPreschoolof theArts.com.
Jewish 20
-40 year
olds!
The Jewish Young Professionals of Greater Naples invite you to come socialize! Please email or call Renee’ to be added to the roster. rbialek@jewishnaples.org 239-263-4205
Jewish Young Professionals
Activities include: • Happy Hour We wa • Game Night n y our su t to hear • Movie Night g and id gestions • Shabbat Services e upcom as for • Volunteering ing ev ents! • Holiday Parties • Zoom Meet & Greets • and more! OF GREATER NAPLES
