Blog

Cleveland Jewish News
Feb. 13, 2022

By JANE KAUFMAN

Deciding where to send a child to preschool may be one of the more agonizing decisions a parent faces in the early life of their child.

Bob Rosenbaum of Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development in Shaker Heights and Teri Hochberg of Park Synagogue in Pepper Pike offer advice about what to look for when selecting a preschool….

One aspect of Hanna Perkins’ philosophy is to both respect and help a child work through what may be one of their first experiences of leaving home.

That entails helping the child understand the role of a teacher – as decidedly different from the role of their primary parent or guardian.

“So, the teacher is this new authority figure in their life, and they have to learn to get comfortable,” Rosenbaum said. “They have to learn to have a trusting relationship. So parents should look for a school that understands this process of the very beginnings of independence for a child.”

Different from many preschools, which encourage parents to leave their child at preschool on the first day, Hanna Perkins encourages parents to stay in a waiting room until the child demonstrates readiness in having their parent leave, Rosenbaum said.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE at the Cleveland Jewish News.