Hi Moms -
I am looking for "the right" Jewish preschool for my 3-year-old son in Encino (and the surrounding areas). I'd love to hear from moms about their experiences with the preschools in the area. Thanks in advance!
Contact Rachel Kaplan at www.Jkidla.org or ____@____.com is a FREE Jewish educational concierge who connects parents throughout the valley to all sorts of wonderful Jewish programs. Tell her S. from HaMercaz sent you. She is really wonderful!
My DD goes to temple Ramat Zion in Northridge. We LOVE it!
I just wrote you this really long message and as I was finishing up, my computer crashed and the whole thing disappeared - Bummer!
So here is the summary of what I said - you have the chance to choose not just a preschool but a synagogue and a community you can be part of for years to come. The people you become friends with now may be a blip in time or may become lifetime friends. You are blessed to be in one of the Jewish centers of the world. Lots of great Jewish organizations to choose from. Look at you belief practices (Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Orthodox, non affiliated), look at where you live (you have to be able to drive there easily), find out where people you know attend, do you want a place that focuses on the religious practices or social action. In your area there is Valley Beth Sholom, Temple Judaea, Kol Tikva, Beth Hillel, Temple Aliyah, Valley Outreach Synagogue, Temple Ramat Zion, Chabad, there is an Orthodox one that I am blanking on the name, and I am sure there are several more. Check out the nursery school and check out the temple community. See where you feel comfortable and follow your instinct, you'll know when it is right. Stay away from the freeway and the Sepulveda Pass, driving over the hill is a nightmare and not worth it.
Good luck, this can be a big moment in your life as well as your child's.
If you have more questions please feel free to write me back.
Updated
I sent my son to Kol Tikvah preschool on Ventura Blvd near Winetka. He had a wonderful education there. He started when he was 2 and went through Pre-K. They had some great after school programs too. He started Karate there when he was 3 (he's 9 now and working on his red belt). The cost was very reasonable compared to other places. It is a reform temple (we're conservative and we now send our son to Chabad for Hebrew school) but they gave him a good basic Jewish holiday education and the teachers were wonderful.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
