LYC

We welcome you and your child to Leibler Yavneh College and the Abeles-Liberman Early Learning Centre. 

Through individual program planning, based on observations of each child, the complete child is nurtured in all areas of development: educational, spiritual, social, cultural and emotional.  We look forward to you and your family joining the Yavneh community and your child thriving in our Early Learning Centre.

Aims of the Early Learning Centre
The Early Learning Centre fosters the relationship between parents and staff by encouraging open communication to facilitate the highest quality transition from home to the kindergarten environment.
 
We aim to meet each child’s needs by consulting with parents regarding their child’s interests. Activities are then planned based on this information and with developmental observations recorded by staff.
 
A fortnightly program is displayed in each room and parents are encouraged to read the program. Any comments, ideas or suggestions from parents are welcome. Activities are always appropriate to the age and developmental level of the children. In the weeks preceding a festival the program focuses on building the children’s knowledge and understanding through art activities, dramatisation, stories and songs.

The general goals of the program are to develop:
• gross motor skills (large muscle development) eg. climbing, jumping, balancing
• fine motor skills (fine muscle development) eg. cutting, drawing
• cognitive skills (thinking) eg. increasing knowledge in areas of science and literature
• concentration and persistence
• Hebrew and Jewish Studies
• language, talking and listening
• social/emotional, how to…
 o make friends
 o share and wait for a turn
 o obey rules 
 o build confidence and self esteem
 o cope with anger and disappointment
 o look after equipment
 o accept responsibility for actions
 o experience success
 o develop independence

Jewish Studies Program
On Erev Shabbat (Friday) a special Kabbalat celebration is held in all Kindergartens. The Shabbat table is prepared with white tablecloths, flowers, two challot, grape juice and Shabbat candles. A ‘family' is chosen every week consisting of an abba (father), imma (mother) and yeladim (children). Songs are sung and in Senior Kindergarten the Parashat Hashavua (the weekly reading of the Torah) is told to the children. In Junior Kindergarten age appropriate adaptations of the Parashat Hashavua are told. The atmosphere is always happy and joyous. Parents are asked to send their child with a small amount of money for Tzedakah (charity). This forms an integral part of the Erev Shabbat festivities and simultaneously develops the concept of Tzedakah at an early age.
 
The Jewish calendar forms the basis of the Jewish Studies program. Each Chag (festival) is taught, celebrated and intergraded into the Jewish Studies and General Studies programs.
 
Songs, art activities and discussions, along with dramatic play opportunities, enable the children to fully participate in the joy of any festival. For example, at Pesach the children will have their own Seder, gradually building from year to year and increasing their knowledge of the songs and practices of the Chag.
 
Each day basic Tefillot (prayers) are sung - Modeh Ani, Shema Yisrael - and simple brachot (blessings) are also taught. The Tefillot become more extensive as the children progress through the year levels. This important learning gives the children a sense of pleasurable participation in Yahadut (Judaism) activities in Kinder.

Leibler Yavneh College has a unique Pre-school Jewish Studies Program based on experiencing what it is to be a Jewish child.  There is a strong focus on Hebrew language and a Hebrew language/Jewish studies program is conducted each day in the class room. Leibler Yavneh College prides itself on its commitment to Hebrew language and programs which develop a learning and love of Israel. 

Aims for Junior Kindergarten
Children from three years of age benefit from a warm and trusting environment in which they are encouraged to play and explore the world around them. Socially, they regularly engage in parallel play ie. children play along side each other and learn to share materials. Junior Kindergarten is often the child’s first experience in a larger group and an introduction to a day with more structure. The day begins with Tefillah and combines both formal and informal open ended experiences.

Other aims include:
• facilitating a smooth transition from home by developing individual orientation plans for the start of each year
• developing social skills by the provision of multiples of equipment to reduce conflict with sharing
• developing language skills through singing, games and rhymes in both Hebrew and English
• developing self help skills and a high level of independence, such as dressing and undressing (eg. shoes on and off)
• developing self esteem as a learner by planned experiences that result in the child experiencing success

Aims for Senior Kindergarten
Children in the Senior Kindergarten year have a wealth of experience and skills that form the basis for planning the program. Children of this age and stage of development have often formed friendships and enjoy a verbal ability that enables deeper exploration of their world. They are often familiar with routines such as Tefillah and this ensures a smooth transition into the Senior Kindergarten year. As with Junior Kindergarten, parents are encouraged to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their children’s individual programs.
 
Other aims include:
• further developing social skills such as empowering children to mediate their conflicts with staff directing the resolution of disputes
• encouraging the development of literacy and numeracy skills as determined by each child’s interests (ie. immersing the children in print and providing writing interest centres so children can experiment with this developing skill)
• using language to share ideas and work cooperatively
• enjoying a Prep transition program with experience linking the Early Learning Centre to the Main campus at Nagle Avenue
• Perceptual Motor Program on a weekly basis to develop coordination and gross motor skills as a prerequisite for more formal learning