Frequently Asked Questions
Our students can begin as young as 1 year old and walking.
| Class | Time |
| Toddlers, Twos, & Threes | 8:45 am – 12:45 pm |
| Pre-K | 8:45 am – 1:45 pm |
Children in the full-day program can attend from 7:30 am – 6:00 pm. There are a variety of full-time and part time options depending on your family’s needs.
We ask that you pack a Kosher-style lunch (suggestions can be found in the Parent Resource Section), which means not mixing dairy and meat products and no pork or shell fish. We are peanut-friendly, though we are also very diligent about working with families who have restricted diets or allergy concerns.
All snacks served at the GECC are kosher and nut free. Children are offered milk to drink with each snack. You can see a sample of a monthly snack schedule by clicking here.
Yes, click here to become a member!
No. We welcome all families at the J and we have many non-Jewish families enrolled in the school.
We typically have approximately 200 students enrolled at the GECC.
One of the best things about being part of the GECC is the access to the enrichment class at the J. We have offerings including dance, gymnastics, swimming, cooking, sports classes, and a variety of rotating enrichment classes. More information can be found in the enrichment section of the early childhood website.
While all of these are part of our activities in the classroom, children also have the opportunities to work with specialist teachers in music, gym, Torah, science, and cooking. Our threes and Pre-K children also participate in weekly group swimming lessons at our indoor pool.
We are vigilant about our sick policy. Children must be symptom-free for 24 hours to return to school. If your child gets sick at school, we will call you and keep them comfortable and well cared. If a particular illness is diagnosed in your class, we let parents know to look out for it. We are constantly cleaning and disinfecting to make sure we have a healthy environment.
Safety is always the number one priority in our school; it is on the top our minds on a daily basis. Teachers and staff are prepared to handle emergencies and practice safety drills with the children in accordance to our state licensing regulations.
We are proud of our very low turn-over rate. Once our teacher are here, they want to stay! We have teachers who have been here 30 years mixed in with new teachers who have just completed their undergraduate program. You can find out more about our teachers in the professional development section of our school website.
Our teachers use an app called Remini to send daily pictures and communications about the children’s day. We also use a mixture of emails and written orange notes to update parents about information ranging from school events to how your child ate, slept, and used the bathroom during the day.
Our school follows NAEYC rations of 4:1 in the Toddlers, 6:1 in the Twos, 7:1 in the Threes, and 9:1 in Pre-K.
Yes. Our school year is generally from the middle of August to the middle of May. If you are signed up for the year-round program, you also have coverage during winter break, spring break, and the break weeks between the end of school and the start of camp. If you would like care in the summer, you can enroll your child in Camp Simchah, which is open the same hours as our school program.
Early enrollment opens for returning families in December. In January, enrollment opens to the public. Please try to enroll early to ensure your space! It is not uncommon for wait lists for the following school year to be started in March. Our families also have priority registration for summer camps (which opens in January).
As a school we learn about and celebrate many of the Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Chanukkah, Tu B’Shvat, Purim, Passover, Yom Ha;atzmaut, and Shavuot. We also celebrate Thanksgiving and have class (Toddlers and Twos) and age level (Threes and Pre-K) feasts we would love for you to attend.
We know many families celebrate Halloween and Valentine’s Day at home, but we do not celebrate or do anything for those days at school. Make sure to save those costumes for Purim in the spring though!
On our school calendar you will see some days designated as School Closed/HBP Open and some as School Closed/ECP Open. The Holiday Break Program (HBP) is open on many of the days the school is closed for Jewish holidays and parents of full-time students are eligible to sign-up for an additional charge. The Extended Care Program (ECP) is included in full-time tuition and is offered for weeks school is closed such as spring break, winter break, and before and after summer camp.
When you are seeing signs that your child is interested and ready to potty train, our teachers will be happy to work with you to set up a consistent potty training plan to use at home and at school.
Our children love the songs they learn at school and often sing part of them at home. While not every song is included in here, many of them that they learn about the holidays can be found within these pages:
