Preschool Registration is Now Open!
Contact Our School Office: (201) 848-1027 or schooloffice@barnerttemple.org

We are getting ready for another wonderful year, our 35th, as we continue to grow, adapt to the changing world, and support our children as they learn both indoors and outdoors, utilizing our gorgeous outdoor campus.

Please contact the school office for information on how to set up a tour and to learn more about registration and our educational philosophies. schooloffice@barnerttemple.org

Morning schedule: 9 a.m. - 12:30 pm
Full day schedule: 9 am-3 pm
Extended days available: 8 am-9 am and 3pm to 5 pm.*
*Ask the School Office for a price sheet.

The primary goal of our program is to provide a warm, safe, nurturing environment. Teachers plan developmentally appropriate curricula for the age span of the children within the group. Attention is paid to the different needs, interests, and developmental levels of those individual children. The curriculum provides for all areas of a child’s development: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive, through an integrated approach, using a number of spaces on our incredible campus, including classrooms, social hall, playground, and 10 acres outdoors.

The emergent curriculum emphasizes learning as an interactive process. Teachers prepare the environment for children to learn through active exploration. Learning activities and materials are concrete, real and relevant to the lives of young children. The curriculum provides for a wider range of developmental interests and abilities than the chronological age range of the group would suggest. Teachers are prepared to meet the needs of children who exhibit unusual interests and skills outside the normal developmental range.

The core teachings of Judaism are woven throughout the Jewish calendar (holidays, mitzvot) and curriculum so that children learn vital life skills such as mutual respect, a love of learning, and a sense that there is something bigger out there to care about than themselves. This is true for all of our children, from all cultures and faith backgrounds.

Little Sprouts (15 Months – 2 Years)

We Know Your Child’s Needs
The first time you drop your little one off at an independent program can be challenging. We get it. We have 33 years of experience with successful, compassionate separation. We make it smooth for you and for your child. We'll even text you pictures. Our teachers are handpicked for patience and nurturing qualities.  Our very youngest students, ages 15 months to two years, have the opportunity to participate in a full learning program. With a very low ratio of students to teachers, the children get the one-on-one attention they need at this age. Children are stimulated and learn social skills in a loving environment.

Our Program
The Little Sprouts develop into a close, loving community, joining in on all the activities with the school. Only lunch is kept separate in their classroom for closer supervision. Language is promoted everyday through books, songs, discussions during meals, and on the many adventures. There are gross motor opportunities and sensory experiences offered daily as well as varied art materials to promote fine motor development and creativity. As in all of our classrooms, executive functioning skills are a focus, specifically self-regulation. Mostly, our Little Sprouts are happy, giggly and making us all smile!

Rising Stars (2 – 3 Years)

Fostering Independence
Teachers in the Rising Stars focus on teaching social skills and independence in our safe, nurturing environment. They are experienced and supportive of both you and your child's needs as this may be a first time separation or your venture into the joys of toilet training, picky eating and sleep disruptions. We'll hold your hand throughout your journey! Our two-year-olds are ready to be introduced to new environments. Teachers help to guide parents through the emotional first school separation experience. We never know who will have the more difficult time: parent or child!

Once everyone is settled, children are off and running — literally. Though they are small, Rising Stars have a full morning of singing, story-telling, painting, snack, cooking, and use manipulative and other objects which lay the foundation for the development of pre-reading and math skills. Not bad for two- and three-year-olds!

Our Program
Our classrooms are filled with sensory-based toys and equipment your child will enjoy. Our curriculum helps children to explore and discover the foundational experiences for their future math and language development. Self-help skills like dressing and cleaning up embed a sense of purpose and responsibility. We help each child develop a personal "tool box", working to self-regulate and manage social and emotional relationships.

The Big Shots (3 – 4 Years)

Expanding Horizons
The Big Shots are full of wonder, spending much time and energy observing and listening to everything that goes on around them. Through their observation skills, they practice processing ideas and concepts. This leads to advances in vocabulary, expression of thoughts and feelings, and communication skills. Our three- to four-year-olds begin to show the emergent skills leading up to reading, writing and math. Though there are often still separation issues, Big Shots develop cognitive, social and motor skills that will serve them the rest of their lives. Their increasing cognitive skills enable them to participate in more varied and sophisticated learning activities. Full-day students are enriched with fun and learning activities that build on the concepts presented in the morning

Our Program
We provide many opportunities for children to exercise their new verbal skills and share their feelings through stories, graphs, dramatics and song. We make books and learn about authors, explore science by examining the world around us, and begin to teach the concept of Tikkun Olam by participating in social action projects, respecting the earth and recycling. Math is introduced by using number lines and through the manipulation, counting and sorting of real items (think acorns and pinecones) -most that the students have collected themselves.

Fantastics Pre-K/TK (4 - 5 Years)

Independence and Drive
Our Pre-K/TK children are ready for greater challenges. As the name suggests – they are simply fantastic! Eager to be independent and successful, the Fantastics learn to navigate complex social interactions and explore the world around them through a unique curriculum. If we set the foundation in the first two years, it is here, in Pre-K/TK, where we see the success. Children now have the ability to confidently explore independently, to seek out various materials, books, supplies and friends. Children’s interests are supported and we continue to encourage their emergent reading and math skills, while preparing them for Kindergarten. Afternoons are critical for allowing children the time they need to delve further into topics and materials that interest them and we encourage parents to register for some or all full days. We utilize the outdoors for deeper learning and venture into the surrounding forest for graphing and recording nature, weaving, experimenting, and just enjoying being part of these beautiful surroundings.

Our Program
We use a highly interactive, multi-sensory approach to science, social studies, literacy and math – all while encouraging cognitive risk taking. We empower the children to learn in groups and individually. Children are encouraged to become independent and motivated, active learners, feeding their self-esteem, and self-respect. The outdoor forest is our classroom. Graphing and recording nature's cycles, weaving on our large outdoor loom, experimenting with moving water in the stream, and feeling comfortable among nature, all extend the learning in a vast range of developmental categories. We make full use of our extraordinary facilities and beautiful grounds.