The Early Childhood Center
The mission of the Valley of the Sun JCC Early Childhood Center (ECC) is to provide a safe, loving, Judaic-infused, experienced-based education that fully prepares children for kindergarten.
The Valley of the Sun JCC Early Childhood Center (ECC) preschool program nurtures each child’s natural curiosity, intelligence, and interests while developing their Jewish identity. We are accredited to care for children ages 6 weeks to Pre-K, and provide specialty and academic enrichment classes. With low educator-to-child ratios and a high level of personal attention, your child will thrive.
Infants
Our infant classrooms experience a responsive caregiving environment that focuses on attachment, social relationships, fine and gross motor development and community. Our classroom activities emphasize social engagement and responsiveness, talking and listening to children and providing a safe environment to physically explore and challenge growth.
Toddlers
Our Toddler classrooms allow for the developing child to explore more freely, moving from activity to activity while being guided by their teacher. Activities encourage increased language, motor growth, curiosity and self-help skills.
Two’s
Our Two’s classrooms are designed to support the increased independence and curiosity that a two-year-old is experiencing. This classroom focuses on increasing self-help skills, social interaction skills, problem-solving and increasing language and exploration in a guided and engaging way.
Three’s
Our Three’s classrooms support children to bridge from Two’s to Pre-K. Emphasis includes increased autonomy like: following routines, problem-solving, language use and social interactions. Pre-academic skills begin to emerge and are practiced in an individualized and hands-on way to prepare for the Pre-K year.
Pre-K
Our Pre-K classrooms experience child-centered, hands-on learning activities that emphasize academic readiness for Kindergarten. The focus includes language, literacy, writing, math, science, and social skills designed to teach letter names and sounds, correctly writing letters, vocabulary building, math concepts, scientific exploration, and inquiry working as a community and much more.
Educational Experience
Our curriculum is child-centered, inquiry-driven, and is aligned with the Arizona Early Learning Standards. Additionally, ECC educators are continuously trained and complete professional development throughout the year to ensure they are providing the very best educational experience for children. As part of each educator’s onboarding, they virtually attend multiple training sessions from the Department of Health and Safety, and each year teachers are provided with an orientation week of training including:
Educational Experience Includes
- Lesson Planning
- Developmentally Appropriate Practices
- Conscious Discipline-Social-Emotional Skill Building
- Judaics, including music with Mr. Erez for weekly Shabbat
- Developing High-Quality Classroom Environments
In addition to orientation, educators attend monthly staff meetings that embed professional development topics. These meetings function as a Professional Learning Community that let staff share ideas, activities, and learn from each other. Lastly, educators are encouraged to attend external conferences and training as desired or as a part of a staff member’s professional development plan.
Enrichment Programs
In addition to the educational experience offered at the ECC, we also offer a variety of enrichment programs to round out your child’s time with us.
- Reading with Ruach: is a fun, hands-on early literacy program that reinforces Jewish ethics, values and traditions. Professional Literacy Coaches visit the Three’s and Pre-K classrooms weekly to give the children additional instruction in pre-reading and writing skills.
- Jump Bunch: is a mobile sports and fitness program for children. We get kids moving, teach sports fundamentals, give kids a health and fitness foundation for life, and most importantly we make it fun!
- Fly Classes: catering to your whole child, the ECC also offers a Further Learning for Youngsters featuring both academic and physical education programming to extend your child’s learning beyond the traditional school day. Stay tuned for more information!
- Swimming Opportunities & Private Swim Lessons: at The J Aquatics Center
Judaic Programming
Culture and our Jewish heritage are a core tenet of the ECC. As such, Shabbat and Havdalah activities are scheduled weekly while we integrate Jewish music and lessons in our classroom activities. Additionally, we incorporate the Sheva Framework into our values, mission, policies, and procedures as well as into our interactions with families, children and each other. Sheva, which means seven in Hebrew, is a powerful number in Jewish thought and practice. The Sheva Framework employs seven core principles of early care and education across contemporary and ancient texts, using seven Jewish lenses to reveal universal values. Sheva classrooms weave these values throughout their educational day.
The Seven Core Elements of Sheva
- Children as Constructivist Learners
- Early Childhood Directors as Visionaries
- Early Childhood Educators and Professionals
- Families as Engaged Partners
- Environments as Inspiration for Inquiry
- Discover CATCH as Sh’mirat HaGuf (taking care of our bodies)
- Israel as the Story of the Jewish People
Kochavim Camp
Kochavim Camp gives our ECC infants and children all the fun of a summer camp experience! We have fun and make memories through a variety of enriching experiences, including sports, swimming, music, drama and activities steeped in Jewish values and culture. Kochavim Camp provides a fun, enriching summer for campers six weeks to four years of age.
Financial Assistance
Programs, camp and membership are not just available to everyone because we can do so, they are available because it is part of who we are.
What are the Steps to Enroll?
Thank you for your interest in our Early Childhood Center! Below you will find a simple step-by-step list to help you plan for your registration and enrollment.
STEP 1: If you would like to visit our facility, please schedule a tour.
STEP 2: Register online.
STEP 3: Our Administrative Team will reach out to you about your child’s space.
STEP 4: If space is available in your child’s age group, fill out any remaining forms that will be sent to you by our Office Manager.
STEP 5: If you are not already a member, you must start your family membership during the first month that your child is attending. Please contact our Membership Department at 480.481.7090 for more information or schedule a tour.
STEP 6: Welcome to the ECC!! Information on class lists, teacher welcome letters, our communication app and more will be sent to you about two weeks before your scheduled start date! To reach us for any questions you might have you can always email us!
Frequently Asked Questions
Availability varies each year. We have a set capacity per age group and fill spaces in each classroom on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us by phone at 480.659.7769 or email at earlychildhood@vosjcc.org to find out about our availability and/or waitlists.
To register your child or to be on the waitlist, you do not need a membership to The J. Once your child is enrolled, you will need to contact our membership desk at 480.481.7090 to sign up for a Family Membership by the first of the month that your child begins attending. If your child is attending our summer camp, Kochavim Camp, you have the option to send your child at the guest rate rather than becoming a member.
You can find our financial policies here.
All of our programs are 5 days a week, with a variety of options for timeframes. For those who choose to not send their child every day of the week, there is no prorated tuition.
We place all children in their age groups by their date of birth. As a school we follow the Arizona September 1 cutoff, meaning:
- Ones – Toddlers: One on or by August 31
- Two’s: Two on or by August 31
- Three’s: Three on or by August 31
- Pre-K: Four on or by August 31
- Infants: 1 adult to 4 children with a max of 8 children
- Toddlers: 1 adult to 4 children with a max of 8-12 children (dependent on DOB)
- Two’s: 1 adult to 6 children with a max of 12 children
- Three’s: 1 adult to 9 children with a max of 18 children
- Pre-K: 1 adult to 10 children with a max of 20 children
Children in our Infant to Three’s programs are not required to be potty-trained. Teachers will work with families of children who are still using diapers, as well as families that are working on transitioning to underwear.
We are inclusively Jewish. This means Jewish traditions and values are at the heart of everything we do, but as we like to say, “everyone welcome.”
For certain age groups, we are currently taking children on our waitlist. Please register here.
For our Toddlers through Two’s rooms, nap time is 1-3pm. We understand that as a child gets older, the amount of nap time needed may vary and some may not need to nap at all. In our Three’s rooms we try to accommodate both those children who nap and those who do not. The expectation is that all children, even those who won’t end up napping, lay on their mat for 20-30 minutes. During this time, teachers play calming music or an audio story. After that initial quiet time, those children who do not nap are able to get off of their mats to participate in quiet activity. Our Pre-K rooms do not have a set nap time. If your Pre-K child needs to nap he/she will be offered a nap mat and a place to lie down to rest.
While all snacks purchased by the ECC are certified kosher, the lunch that you send in with your child is not required to be. However, we do request that you refrain from sending in pork or shellfish products. We are also a nut-free facility.
We are proud to partner with Jump Bunch and Pre-K Academy to offer enrichment programs within our regularly scheduled day in both PE (for ages 2 and up) and Early Literacy (for ages 3 and up). In addition, in order to give children additional experiences in areas of special interest, Further Learning for Youngsters (FLY) classes are available for Three’s and Pre-K. You will receive our FLY brochure with a registration form for each session. Costs for FLY classes will be determined by the number of classes per session.
