Our Philosophy

Cheder Menachem Early Learning Centre is committed to providing a warm, loving environment, infused with Jewish values and traditions, where children receive quality education and care by educators who strive for constant improvement and are guided by industry standards. We aim to educate our children in the method promoted by the Chabad Rebbes which stresses the powerful educational influence especially when children are very young, and the importance of seeing the world through the lens of Torah.
Traditional Jewish values and ethics are central to our philosophy. These values include belief in G-d, love of fellow man, and respect for parents, study of Torah, and observance and appreciation of Mitzvos. An extra measure of inspiration is infused in our program with the vitality of Chassidic customs and spirit. Children are also encouraged to respect others and appreciate differences in others’ abilities.   We strive to provide a warm, positive and cooperative environment in which children from divergent backgrounds can grow and learn. A nurturing environment is deemed vital for the development of self esteem, confidence and happiness of children. Our program provides a balance of social, time-specific, and general themes as well as life skills, all as viewed through the lens of Torah and Chassidus to promote the child’s complete development.
Our program is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework, “Belonging, Being, Becoming”, which identifies children’s five main areas of development (identity, community, wellbeing, learning, and communication). We recognize that a key way that children develop during the early years is through play, and therefore we provide the children with opportunities, experiences, and activities to further their development in a fun, educational way.
Our program is tailored to meet the needs and interests of individual children, as well as the group as a whole, families, and the general community. This is accomplished through a comprehensive cycle of observation and collecting information from families, community, children, and educators and using this information to plan experiences which stimulate the children’s interest, extend on their existing interests and abilities, scaffold (build on) skills already mastered, and introduce ideas and information relevant to the children, their families, and their community. Experiences include a balance of structured and unstructured activities.
The centre recognizes that children belong to families and communities. Family and community involvement in the program and in making and evaluating the Centre’s policies are essential to our philosophy. We provide a variety of opportunities for family involvement, such as comprehensive enrollment forms, an informative weekly newsletter, children’s portfolios, community incursions and excursions, and regular opportunities for families to share events and experiences from home life. We employ a system of evaluating our communication with families and community to provide optimum service.   This philosophy will act as a basis for our centre’s operation, goals, policies, and procedures. Given that the centre is constantly progressing and improving its service, we are committed to making this an ongoing process of evaluation, including reviewing our written procedures and policies, as well as the philosophy of the centre.