Early Childhood Development Center

Why choose us?

About Us

The Glen Greenstein Early Childhood Development Center (ECD) is a Jewish constructivist and progressive school in which children are active participants of their own learning process, families hold an important and substantial supporting role, and the school provides a stimulant-rich and provocative environment for the children to develop to their full potential. 

Professional Developing and Reflecting Practices are at the heart of both learning and teaching at our school. As we learn new possibilities and approaches, we are constantly refining our curriculum and philosophy. 

Housed at the Dave and Mary Alper JCC, the environments curated at Glen Greenstein ECD are designed to provoke wonder, curiosity, creativity, and intellectual engagement from different perspectives and possibilities. At Glen Greenstein ECD, children are seen as competent, curious, capable, and natural learners. Teachers are professional and ready to provoke, challenge, and elevate the children´s knowledge through ongoing interactions in a stimulant-rich space. 

What Makes Us Different 

We are an APPLE accredited school (Accredited Professional Preschool Environment) through the Florida Association of Childcare Management (FACCM). This prestigious recognition involves a rigorous process of meeting demanding criteria in the learning environment including adult-child interactions; staff educational qualifications; adult-child ratios and group sizes; family engagement; program administration; curriculum; assessment and evaluation of the children and program; and community involvement. 

Our program is set apart through more than just traditional learning. At Glen Greenstein ECD we pride ourselves on our unique offerings that differentiate us from other preschool programs, including:

• We offer Music, PE, and Swimming as part of our curriculum and tuition. 
• Ballet, Soccer, T-ball, Spanish, and Swimming lessons are offered for an additional fee. 
• Our Judaic components play a significant role in the young child’s development. By integrating Judaic experiences into a child’s daily life, a sense of identification is developed with the family, the Jewish community, the American people, and the world at large. Our weekly Shabbats are an important event that brings together our families for a moment of reflection and celebration
• Low classroom ratios- Our group sizes remain low in accordance with our APPLE accreditation and to maintain our high-quality educational standards.
• Families as Engaged Partners- Family engagement is essential to building a strong school community. When families are involved in the learning process, children and their families have opportunities to celebrate Jewish life, embrace diversity, and as a result, communication about each child is ongoing and supportive. Our active Parent and Grandparent Kehillah (community) is engaged in all aspects of the ECD program from “fun-raisers to fundraisers.” 
• Certified Staff in Early Childhood- Teachers receive ongoing supervisory support from our Curriculum Specialist as well as participate in Professional Development hours on a regular basis. 
• Environments as inspiration for inquiry- At the Glen Greenstein ECD, our vision for the indoor and outdoor environment includes an intentional place that provokes wonder, curiosity, intellectual engagement, and creativity with endless possibilities. 

Our School Environment

We believe that the school environment plays a key role in the educational process, serving as a third teacher for the student.  From the lobby to the classrooms, playgrounds and outdoor areas, all spaces have the main intention of developing the whole child physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually.  

Our classrooms have well-defined, thoughtfully planned work/play spaces designed specifically to support the children’s learning process in both one-on-one activities and in small and large group experiences. The materials we provide are adjusted to fit the level of development in our children, with the main purpose of keeping our children motivated and interested in exploring and learning. These materials are arranged in centers such as dramatic play, blocks and construction, science, art, communication, manipulatives, reading, and sensory. A predictable routine for the day is developed in each classroom, encouraging children to feel secure and know what to expect next. 

In addition, children and teachers have access to a 23-acre campus of diverse environments to enhance learning through outdoor exploration. 

Our Facility

• A spacious 18-room building including a large activity room for special events, holiday celebrations, parent-child activities, and teacher training. 
• Beautiful walking paths and a lake where children enjoy walks or buggy rides as a part of their daily activities. 
• Two large, lushly landscaped, age-appropriate playgrounds are designed to engage toddlers through preschoolers. 
• A covered patio play area for infants and young toddlers. 
• An Outdoor Classroom provides a broad range of hands-on experiences across the curriculum, serving as an extension of the indoor classroom space. 
• Beautiful 23-acre campus - Parents are able to access our state-of-the-art fitness center, basketball gym, 25-yard heated swimming pool, tennis courts, walking paths by our lake, playground, and more. 

Program Philosophy

Our program philosophy is based on the premise that children should be active participants of their learning process. Based on this perspective, the best way to learn about the world around them is through immersive play where they connect constantly with other children, adults, and materials.  

Through play, the children work alongside teachers, establishing healthy social-emotional relationships. The environment plays a role as a third teacher through offering materials that nurture social-emotional development, communication, and problem solving. In this planned space, children gain confidence and positive self-esteem, feel encouraged to succeed, and can better demonstrate cooperative pro-social behavior. 

Infants & Toddlers

Caring for infants and toddlers involves more than just meeting their physical needs. Our teachers are responsive professionals concerned about all aspects of children's development. Our program creates an environment that recognizes infants' and toddlers' needs to look, listen, wiggle, roll, crawl, climb, rock, bounce, rest, eat, make noise, grasp, mouth, or drop things. And even to be messy from time to time! 

Classroom Environment

In our Infant-Toddler program, the physical space is safe, flexible, and child-oriented. It provides comfort and accommodates children's changing developmental needs and interests. 

Our infant-toddler classrooms are filled with a wide variety of materials for reaching, exploring, and playing in their own way at their own pace. Materials appeal to children's senses and allow them to manipulate their environment to learn and grow. 

Prekindergarten (VPK)

Our focus in the Pre-K program is preparing for kindergarten by enhancing critical thinking skills, fine-tuning social-emotional development, and integrating knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. 

Program Philosophy

Critical thinking skills are an essential life skill, no matter the age. Critical thinking requires us to not only take in information but also analyze and make judgements about it, and that type of active engagement requires imagination and inquisitiveness. The Pre-K program recognizes the value in harnessing the children’s natural curiosities and assists in laying the foundation for critical thinking with provocations, open-ended materials, and project-based learning. 

Social-emotional development is the cornerstone of children’s development from ages three to five. Children in Pre-K fine-tune emotional understanding, communication, and respect for their peers. These practices help children solve problems amongst themselves, express their emotions in healthy ways, and allow for a cooperative learning environment. 

Classroom Environment

Children immerse themselves in a constructive learning environment that promotes knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. For example, the intention is not just to learn the alphabet or numerical values, but rather create hands-on learning experience that allow the children to fully understand the "how’s" and "why’s" of what they might be learning. Children learn not just by being taught a single subject at a time, which is why a math lesson might incorporate fine motor movement and elements of literacy. The possibilities are truly endless.