Helping Children Discover Who They Are  
Community, confidence, and belonging at the JCC Early Learning School  

For many children, preschool is their first experience of community beyond home. It’s where they begin learning how to share space, build friendships, express themselves, and understand where they belong. It’s also where children gain independence away from their parents and caretakers, test boundaries, and explore who they are in a whole new community of friends and teachers. 

At the JCC Early Learning School (ELS), that experience is shaped with extraordinary care. The ELS frames everything it does with the Sheva Lenses (Seven Lenses), which is a dynamic vision and framework for early childhood Jewish education. Underlying ELS’s ethos is a belief rooted in Jewish values: B’Tzelem Elohim, which recognizes that every child is made in God’s image and deserves the same level of dignity and respect as adults. This guiding principle shapes how children are taught and, no less importantly, how they are seen.  

“Our goal is to help children grow into confident, curious individuals who feel safe being exactly who they are,” says Carolyn Black, the ELS’ Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation Early Intervention Specialist. “What this means in practice is that rather than asking children to adapt to a rigid and pre-set curriculum, our teachers practice ‘co-constructed’ learning.” Co-constructed learning is an approach that allows students to learn collaboratively and build on each other’s understanding. Working together not only helps learners develop problem-solving skills, it also encourages them to create meaningful relationships with both peers and teachers. 

“Co-constructed learning is a key part of our inclusive practice in our ELS because it allows us to meet a child where they are,” says Paula Voss, Director of the ELS. “It also allows our teachers to respond to each child’s interests, strengths, and developmental needs in real time,” Paula adds. As such, the ELS creates environments where children can develop a sense of ownership in their learning as they build their self-awareness. As Paula puts it, “Identity formation is nurtured through daily opportunities for children to grow confidence, express their voice, and explore their natural curiosity.”  

To reinforce its philosophy of inclusion in the classrooms, the ELS has an Early Intervention Specialist, who works closely with teachers and families to help children navigate developmental milestones, and classroom dynamics that arise throughout the year.  

Carolyn recalls one preschool student who felt anxious about coming to school while navigating challenging peer interactions. Working with his teachers, she helped introduce new tools focused on kindness, friendship, and emotional awareness—including a ‘Super Friend’ unit to redirect rough superhero play. She worked closely with the students’ parents recommending books, language, and tools at home. “Now,” Carolyn shares, “the student is coming out of his shell and playing more confidently with his peers, as well as advocating for himself more when he needs help or wants someone to stop.”  

A parent shared her experience with her two-year-old son: “My little guy was having some trouble keeping his hands to himself during transitions and ‘stressful’ parts of the day,” she shared. “Carolyn, in tandem with the teachers, recognized that he was overstimulated and needing to learn to ask for breaks and start to learn how to self-regulate. She gave us some books to read at home, and everyone showed him so much love and patience during this ‘hiccup’ in his typical behavior.” 

The ELS’s goal is for every child to leave with a belief in their own abilities, a comfort in forming relationships, and a lasting love of learning.  

In a world that often asks people to adapt and fit in, the ELS offers something different: a place where children are encouraged to discover who they are, and to know they belong exactly as they are.