GAN YELADIM

Gan Yeladim is a Jewish Early Childhood program for children

ages 2 to 5. We offer both an all inclusive daycare program

and half-day programs. We feature flexible scheduling, with

the ability to combine a combination of half and full days to

accommodate the varied needs of our families. We are proud

to have a high quality program at affordable prices. This includes

a 10% discount for families with two or more children in the

program.

PHILOSOPHY

Gan Yeladim places emphasis on understanding and meeting the

needs of the young child in a warm, nurturing, Jewish

environment where trust and positive self-esteem are fostered. 

Recognition is given to the emotional, social, physical and

intellectual level of each child.  We understand that positive,

developmentally appropriate learning in each of these areas is

of the utmost importance.  We believe children learn best

through guided play and hands-on activities. Learning

opportunities during this time take place in both the social and

cognitive arena, including literacy, math, science, art and music.  

Judaism in our school is integrated into the overall curriculum.  

We teach Jewish holidays, Shabbat, Hebrew, and prayer.

Teaching and living Jewish values is an integral part of our

curriculum. We understand that Jewish Early Childhood

programs are the gateway to Jewish Living. We are committed to

instilling a strong sense of Jewish identity in the children we

teach.

We place high priority on parent and family communication

and involvement. We believe this partnership is essential to the

care and well being of your child. We are mindful of the need to

foster a sense of community among our families. It has been our

experience that life long friendships are made among the

children and the parents that come through our program. 

There are many opportunities for family participation and many ways for

families to get to know each other and establish  meaningful connections.

Children are grouped by age to ensure that their developmental

needs are being met. We understand children have different

needs and abilities depending on their age and we are attuned to

these differences.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

THE HALF-DAY PROGRAM

Our half-day program is offered from 9:30 to 12:00 3, 4 or 5

mornings a week.  The daily routine is divided between child and

teacher directed activities. 

During child directed activities children choose their own

activities from among the various centers in the room.  They

explore play in small groups under the supervision and guidance of trained

 early childhood teachers.  Centers include a block area, an art center, a table

 toy area with manipulatives and puzzles, a book corner, a dramatic play area

 with a kitchen and dress-up clothes and a science center.  The children have

the opportunity to strengthen their social, imaginative, large and small motor,

language and cognitive skills. 

Teacher directed activities include discussions, stories, story

dictation, prayer, songs, games and craft activities.

We have a large, well equipped, fenced-in yard for outdoor play.

The yard has play houses, a large sandbox, climbers, slides and

riding vehicles. Additionally there is an indoor gym room where

the children engage in additional large motor activities.

The following classes are available from 9:30 to 12:00 and are

available 3, 4 or 5 days a week:

• Two year old classes
• Three year old classes
• Four year old classes

THE DAYCARE PROGRAM

All children in our half-day program may also be in early morning

and afternoon daycare two to five days a week. We offer flexible

scheduling for families who do not need the entire five full days

a week daycare. We are happy to tailor make a schedule that suits your family’s

needs.

We open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. If children arrive

before 9:30 a.m. they are brought to our “breakfast room” for

breakfast and supervised play.  From 9:30 to 12:00 all children

are in their age-alike morning Gan Yeladim classes.  At 12:00 the

half-day children leave and the daycare children remain for a hot

kosher lunch, nap or rest time and the afternoon program.  The

two and three year olds remain in the same room the entire day.

The four year olds may switch classrooms at noon. Both half

and full day children enjoy the same programming and curriculum in the

mornings.

The most important component of the program is the “tender

loving care” that is given to each child, along with special

attention to individual needs.  Our teacher-child ratio is low so

we can meet the needs of all the children.  We strive to create a

loving, warm, safe “home away from home”.  In addition to lunch

and rest time, children will have art and music, play outside, hear stories and

have ample opportunity for supervised play. Children

will also be involved in special projects developed specifically

for them.

We maintain close communication with parents to

ensure a good partnership between home and school.

Our daycare program is open year round with the exception of

Jewish and national holidays.

THE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

We offer a full program of afternoon enrichment classes,

including art, music, drama, explorers, Hebrew, Spanish and

cooking. These classes provide opportunity for the older

children to explore specific areas of interest and extend their

knowledge and skills.

THE SUMMER PROGRAM

Our summer program operates for 8 weeks, from the last two

weeks of June through the first 2 weeks of August. Day care

continues intact throughout the summer. We maintain the same

educational philosophy and standards which guide our programs

throughout the rest of the year.

Much of our summer activities are conducted outdoors.  We use water

tables and sprinklers as well as other forms of water play. Our 3

and 4 year old children go across the street to Devonshire Water

Playground twice a week for more extensive water play. Our

classrooms are air-conditioned.  Our weeks are divided by

themes such as animals, space travel and community helpers.

The following program choices are available:

• 9:30 to 12:00 for two and three year olds, 3-5 days a week.
• 9:30 to 1:00 for four and five year olds, 3-5 days a week.  This program includes lunch.

ADDITIONAL CHILD CARE OPTIONS

We offer the following options for additional child care:

• Early morning drop-off for non-daycare children. Children may be dropped off in our “breakfast room” as early as 7:30.  They will receive breakfast and participate in supervised play.  There is a $5 an hour charge for this service.  Payment is  pay-as-you-go. Advance registration is not necessary.
• Three and four year olds who come half day have the option of bringing lunch from home (dairy or pareve) and staying an additional hour for lunch and supervised play. This is done on a day to day basis. There is a $5 charge for supervision.

We offer these additional services as another way to accommodate the needs

of the families we serve.

OUR FACULTY 

Our teachers are trained early childhood professionals who are dedicated and

devoted to the children and families they serve. They continue to take courses

and seminars to increase their knowledge and skill level. Our class

sizes and teacher-child ratios are low, to insure that we meet the

needs of the children in our care.

Our Gan Director, Betsy Rotberg is committed to our goal of an exciting and

inspiring Early Jewish Education for all children. Betsy has been involved with

our Gan for over 25 years, as teacher, assistant director, and director. She has

a master’s degree in Social Work, and extensive training in Early Childhood

Education.

ABOUT Betsy Rotberg -Gan Director

Betsy Rotberg has been on the staff of Gan Yeladim for over 25 years. She

developed the Gan Enrichment program, which began as cooking and drama

classes for four-year-olds and has have expanded into seven options for four-

year-olds and two classes for three-year-olds.

Betsy has been Gan Yeladim director for 17 years; before that she was the

Assistant Director and the Gan Summer Director. She sits on the board of the

Jewish Federation Early Childhood Kehilla and has had many leadership

positions in The Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE),

which included 3 years on the board. She is passionate about high-quality

early-childhood Jewish education and has spent more than two decades to

ensure that Gan remains one of the best.

Betsy lives in Skokie with Richard, her husband of almost 44 years. She has

two children and 3 grandchildren, who are the loves of her life.

Email betsy@ehnt.org or contact the Gan Yeladim office at:

(847)675-4152 for more information about Gan Yeladim.

AFFILIATIONS

Our program operates under the licensure of the Illinois

Department of Children and Family Services and the supervision

of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Chicago.

The Religious Education Committee of EHNTJC has oversight

over the Gan.  We are also accredited by the Chicago Jewish

Federation Jewish Accreditation program. This accreditation

process ensures that we meet the highest standards for Jewish

Early Childhood Education.