B’nai Simcha Jewish Community Preschool

Just an update — the campus is moving this summer and will be located at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center. This is great for the community as we will have two Jewish schools, B’nai and Weizmann, on one campus!

I have had three children who graduated from or still attend B’nai Simcha Preschool. Between the three kids, I have had experience with all the teachers, in all the classes. My children have thrived at this school (and in different ways) and the two now in public elementary school have only thrived in kinder and beyond. The teachers are warm and nurturing. The school has a developmental philosophy and encourages children in so many areas. The school also teaches Jewish values and traditions, but welcomes families of all faiths and the people I know of that aren’t Jewish have loved the school as much as we have.
B’nai Simcha school program runs from 9 –12– with most kids staying for the optional lunch hour. There are day care options starting as early as 7 AM and to go as late at 6 PM — so some kids stay all day every day, and some children stay into the afternoon occasionally. I am not as familiar with the day care program because my children rarely stay (ed) — but I know the children who remain for that nap or rest from about 1 — 3 and all the children are together for that, whereas they are separated in age group during class time (but generally all together for outside time. Families love the flexibility of the school. Also, if you want to send your child 3 days a week, you can almost always choose the days of the week — there is no set MWF schedule.

As both a former teacher at B’nai Simcha and the mother of a child in her second year at the school I can not say enough about the program.
As the previous reviewer mentioned the school has a developmental philosphy which, in practice, means the students learn at their developmental levels and are encouraged, constantly to learn, explore, get dirty and have fun.
Even though I worked at B’nai Simcha I looked into all of the other outstanding programs in the area wanting the best for my daughter, and willing to pay for it. Even after touring and loving what I saw at CEC in La Canada, PCC’s Child Education Center, Westminster… it was an easy choice to stick with B’nai Simcha as the programming was as good but with a warmth and family style level of comfort in the program that I just didn’t get in the other programs… not to mention the affordability, accessability and flexibility that no other program could offer.
One of the hallmarks of a good educational program is the longevity of its teachers… a real problem in the world of nursery education due to the low pay… but not at B’nai. The director has been there for 20+ years as have the majority of the staff. Leaving my daughter there every day has been like leaving her with family.
The Jewish education is there, this is a religious school. But there are many families that attend the school who are not Jewish and just love the wonderful program, the affordable cost, the flexibility of the schedule and the warm welcoming atmosphere. Having said that, even my husband, who is as unreligious as they comes, gets a bit of pride when my daughter sings the shabbat prayers.
So…some of the other positives? Program starts at 2 years old. Daycare until 6pm. Easy access from the 210 freeway. No POTTY TRAINING REQUIRED!!! and a place that my daughter loves so much she cries when she DOESN’T have school that day.

I have one child who graduated from B’nai Simcha and one currently attending and I cannot say enough good things about this school. My older daughter started at a preschool in La Canada and it was not a good fit — a very cold environment. She transferred to B’nai Simcha and I could see the difference immediately. There is something special about the warm, loving environment that has been created here. The teachers have a great handle on when a child needs space versus when they need a lap to climb onto. We have experienced all of the classes except for one and both my daughters have thrived here.
One real positive about this school is the flexibility. My daughters initially went three days a week. We had another activity scheduled on Mondays. We decided they would attend Tues, Thurs and Fri. The school has no problem with you choosing the days of the week that work best for you. You can also choose whether or not to have your child stay for lunchtime. Preschool is 9 – 12 but there is the option to have them stay for the lunch hour. After the first day of school, my daughter asked if she could stay for lunch with everyone else from now on. This confirmed that we had made the right choice!
My Kindergartener was fully prepared to enter the large social environment that is public school nowadays. When she started at B’nai Simcha I couldn’t imagine her being ready to enter the next step in her education but she developed tremendously during her preschool years. I believe that preschool is all about creating a loving environment where a child can learn to assert themselves, speak up for themselves and learn how to navigate all the social situations that arise without parents nearby. B’nai Simcha has more than fulfilled my expectations of what a great preschool is.