Jewish-Focused, Curiosity-Driven
From music to medicine, Nashville has emerged as a city of global influence.
But at its core Nashville is a quintessential American town, grounded in traditions of faith, family and community. As such, vibrant and thriving faith-based schools are found at all levels of education, in all areas of our rich and diverse metropolitan area.
The Temple Preschool is proud to be one of those schools.
Whether it’s a mezuzah on a classroom doorway, a blessing before lunch, observing the Sabbath or celebrating a holiday, our programming is grounded in Jewish culture, tradition and the teachings of Torah.
Our Jewish community is an open, welcoming and inclusive community. People from all faiths and traditions are welcome to participate with us. This sense of inclusiveness is evident at the Temple Preschool as we can count members of many different cultures among our students, families and faculty.
About Our Reggio Emilia-Inspired Approach
In addition to being guided by the Jewish faith, the Temple Preschool curriculum is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education.
It stems from our belief that children are curious, capable and competent. The Reggio Approach excels at supporting children’s development in each of these areas.
Reggio Emilia is a town in northern Italy. The Reggio Emilia approach to education emerged in the aftermath of World War II when parents built schools for the sole purpose of educating their youngest children.
This type of parental involvement, along with a sense of community, became and remains a key element of the Reggio approach. The philosophy behind it is that it develops and strengthens connections within the community, providing meaningful experiences for children on a daily basis.
It is at this intersection of education and care, and curiosity and guidance, that Reggio takes hold.
This approach nurtures intellectual curiosity, enabling your child to learn through exploration in a supervised, yet exciting, environment. In doing so your child will experience success and learn to contend with adversity; thus strengthening their competency and resiliency. This instills in students a love for learning that lasts a lifetime and extends far beyond the classroom.
In the Reggio-Inspired classroom, children construct their learning environment. For example, if a class expresses an intense interest in a topic, teachers may support delving deeper into that investigation, rather than moving on to another subject.
Key skills and concepts are integrated into classroom experiences and explorations, realizing that the vehicle for teaching those concepts is inspired by the children’s specific wonderings and investigations of the world they inhabit. At this young age, therefore, the emphasis is more about the process and joy of learning. So whether it’s expression through art, learning about the senses, or studying animals, your child’s development—academically and socially—will be encouraged and nurtured.
It is important to note that, in a Reggio-Inspired environment like the Temple Preschool, there is no substitute for the guidance and wisdom of teachers and parents. Teachers are valued for their knowledge and expertise. Parents are considered partners in the learning experience and are encouraged to reinforce the classroom experience at home.
Furthermore, while safety and care for your child is our foremost obligation, the time your child spends here is designed to be constructive. Temple Preschool is a learning environment and the foundation upon which future success is built.