In the Starboard class, the curriculum emphasizes the development of autonomy and positive social relationships. The High/Scope curriculum is implemented, with an emphasis on active learning. Children learn skills to help build independence and promote self-regulation. Intellectual development and physical development are also stressed by learning through play and hands-on experiences. Children have opportunities to explore the things in which they are interested whether the topic is bugs, shadows, trains, or floating and sinking. Activities include singing, rhyming, being read to, throwing and catching a ball, coloring and painting, gardening, patterning, discriminating visually, puzzles, threading beads, building with blocks, technology, and self-help skills. Jewish values are incorporated daily, with the Hebrew language, and include our weekly Shabbat celebration. Potty training is emphasized, with the goal of children toileting independently by age three.

Pre-K is a time of rapid growth and development in young children and social interaction plays a significant role. In Pre-K there is a great range of opportunities for teaching social interaction skills that influence cognitive development. In Pre-K our primary focus is the development of social skills, independent self-help skills, pre-reading and math. The students learn essential expressive language and number skills through play and thoughtfully designed lessons that are hands-on. Pre-reading skills are encouraged through play and the Land of the Letter People curriculum. Also used in Pre-K is Handwriting Without Tears which gives children a tactile way to begin practicing their written language. Pre-K is also full of daily theme-related activities that focus on creative arts, social studies, science, technology, and Judaic topics. Jewish values are incorporated daily, with the Hebrew language, and include our weekly Shabbat celebration.

The Jr-K program is designed to meet the needs of the four to five-year-old learner as they prepare to enter the world of structured classroom learning. We have a curriculum where students participate in a hands-on and engaging play-based approach to learning concepts and skills, as well as, further develop their curiosity, creativity, differing modes of communication, concentration, listening, negotiation and observation skills. Each child is encouraged to wonder, explore, and to discover, using their own unique learning style and interests. Language and early literacy skills, math and science concepts are incorporated into our weekly thematic units. Multiple methods are used for pre-reading instruction. The focus is on three of the pillars of pre-reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension. A fun way in which we teach language and literacy is through the Get Set for School Language and Literacy Kit. We also utilize the Get Set for School Numbers and Math Kit. The connection between reading and writing is emphasized and taught with the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. We approach our lessons with children through Jewish lenses. Our strong love and respect for Judaism are communicated through our actions, celebrations, intergenerational connections, traditions, and learning experiences. Beyond customs, rituals and holidays, we seek to imbue our classroom with a depth of Jewish values every day. Jewish values are incorporated daily, with the Hebrew language, and include our weekly Shabbat celebration.

The kindergarten program is designed to incorporate both structured and unstructured learning opportunities to maximize academic and social growth. Our low teacher: student ratio allows differentiation in all content areas while incorporating student interests. We implement a curriculum where students participate in a combination of large and small group hands-on activities to learn concepts and skills. Through collaborative learning, students master concepts by learning from both the teacher and each other. Interdisciplinary instruction allows students to better understand concepts by experiencing the ideas through more than one subject. Experiencing the concepts through more than one perspective enhances students’ learning. Reading and literacy are taught using Scott Foresman’s Reading Street. To best cater to our students’ learning needs, we teach reading and writing through phonics and phoneme work, journal writing, one-on-one student to teacher reading instruction, small group reading centers, and sight word study.
Math is taught through Scott Foresman’s EnvisionMath program. This program develops conceptual understanding through daily problem-based interactive learning and step-by-step visual learning. These strategies deepen conceptual understanding by making meaningful connections for students and delivering strong, sequential visual/verbal connections in every lesson.
Science is taught through literature and hands-on experiments. Science concepts are incorporated into our weekly theme so that children better understand how the world works and have authentic situations that support their curiosity, language, math and literacy skills. Science experiments follow the Scientific Method. Students are given a problem, they gather information, form a hypothesis, test the hypothesis and draw conclusions.
We approach our lessons with children through Jewish lenses. Our strong love and respect for Judaism are communicated through our actions, celebrations, intergenerational connections, traditions, and learning experiences. Beyond customs, rituals and holidays, we seek to imbue our classroom with a depth of Jewish values every day. Jewish values are incorporated daily and include Hebrew language classes and our weekly Shabbat celebration.
Kindergarten children must be five years old by August 15.

Noah’s Ark infants and toddlers are immersed in Jewish holiday celebrations and values such as kindness and sharing. The blessing before snack and lunch, Hamotzi, is sung daily. Shabbat is celebrated each Friday morning with blessings and songs.
For our preschool, the Judaic curriculum is multi-faceted. Jewish holidays are celebrated with lessons, songs, and the Hebrew language. Jewish values are woven throughout the daily plans. Children also learn about Israel and Israeli customs. Shabbat is celebrated each Friday morning with prayer, songs and Torah stories with our rabbis. Hebrew language is introduced with Hebrew Through Movement. Learning a foreign language at an early age increases cognitive abilities such as analytical mathematics, critical thinking, creativity, and flexibility of mind. The Alef-Bet, Hebrew alphabet, is introduced at the kindergarten level.

Starboard, Pre-K, Jr-K and Kindergarten children attend exceptional enrichment programs on a weekly basis. Enrichment programs include Music and Movement with Ms. Kathlyn, Jewish Music with Mo-Rah Abbie, Hebrew Through Movement with Ms. Reut, Yoga and Fitness Ms. Kathlyn, Library with Ms. Kay, and Shabbat with our clergy.

After School Clubs are available for a fee for children in Pre-K, Jr-K, and Kindergarten. Offerings include Ballet, Art, Fitness Fun, STEAM, Gardening and Top Chef Cooking clubs. There is an additional fee for attending After School Clubs. However, if your child is already enrolled in After Care, there is a discount.

Our program is open for nine weeks during the summer months. Water play is offered several times each week, with a water slide and sprinklers on the lawn. The summer program enrollment begins in February. Families may enroll for the entire summer or choose various weeks throughout.