Early Childhood

Joseph H. Guindi Early Childhood

Gan YDE
Our youngest gems, the boys and girls of our toddler program, Gan Y.D.E., are growing up and becoming more independent day by day. The children have become accustomed to the daily routines and structure of their classrooms. Their Morot model and  encourage them to transition from activity to activity, take care of their own belongings and maintain the order and cleanliness of the classroom. There has been, and will continue to be, a strong focus on social interactions and communicating with peers. The children are celebrated for expressing their needs and feelings in words, and are encouraged to speak up for themselves when things don’t feel right. Though they are still young, these boys and girls on track to becoming 
successful learners!
Nursery
Colors, colors, colors! The nursery children in Y.D.E. are “knee-deep” in paint, crayons, clothing and manipulatives of all different colors. The classes have been focusing on one color each week in order that each child be able to identify and differentiate the beautiful colors we see around us. The children have been using colors to build their foundational math skills by sorting objects by color and using many different materials to make collages. Just like the many colors that make a rainbow, our special yeladim and yeladot make our yeshivah beautiful too!
Upper Nursery
 The children in Upper Nursery are officially pre-readers! Each week the children are introduced to one of the consonants in the ABC’s. They examine the letter to note its shape and listen carefully to hear the sound it makes. Throughout the week many activities are scheduled to reinforce the shape and sound of the letter. The children use tactile means and materials to print each letter in a fun and memorable way, like dot-dot D’s, orange O’s and tissue T’s! To get comfortable with a letter’s corresponding sound, each class makes a list of many words that begin with the letter of the week. The children enjoy some physical activities connected to the letter of the week, like dancing on a big letter “D”! There are many opportunities for the children to practice writing the letters and watch their Morot model “dictionary writing” when they rewrite and retell stories, make observations about things around them and express their thoughts and feelings through dictation. Learning and writing in Upper Nursery is fun and interactive!

Administration

Mrs. Sophia Dabbah

We are very proud to have the Mrs. Sophia Dabbah preschool as part of the YDE family. For over 20 years Mrs. Dabbah’s program has been educating the community’s young children in an atmosphere of warmth and care, infusing in them an excitement and joy for learning.


Mrs. Dabbah’s approach to children’s education is to maximize every opportunity of the day to teach the children in a positive, loving way, while building close relationships with the children and parents.

Mrs. Ann Chashi Brand

Mrs. Brand has been working in the field of education for 35 years. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Special Education and her Certificate in School Administration and Supervision. She worked as the principal of Otsar Early Childhood Center for 25 years. Chashi Brand currently works as an Educational Consultant for YDE and other Yeshivot. She maintains a private practice in which she provides remediation for children with reading and language difficulties and conducts educational evaluations. Mrs. Brand has taught graduate courses in the field of Early Childhood and Special Education and has trained many teachers. She strongly believes that each child has the potential to achieve success and that every teacher has an obligation to strive to bring out the best in each and every one of his/her students.

Mrs. Dafna Koshanfar

Mrs. Dafna Koshanfar, M.S. Ed, ACSP is a graduate of Brooklyn College and a bilingually certified school psychologist. She has over 15 years of experience working in the special education field and was the school psychologist at Otsar Early Childhood Center for the last 10 years. She has experience and knowledge in assessment, counseling, social skills, and consultations with staff and parents. She believes that each child’s social/emotional health and wellbeing is an enabling factor and imperative to a child’s growth and success in the preschool years.

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