At Gan Avraham, children ages two through five thrive in an environment that encourages social development and a love of learning, while nurturing a strong Jewish identity. The dynamic staff brings a combination of warmth and training in early childhood education to the students, encouraging independence while giving the children a secure, rich environment to explore. Gan Avraham enjoys low staff turnover, and our teachers are all highly trained professionals who love their work. The preschool has been beloved by Oakland families for more than 40 years.
Days at the play-based Gan are filled with art, singing, movement, literature, cooking, science exploration and lots of physical activity. Teachers incorporate children’s interests into each classroom and seamlessly weave Judaic learning into the daily activities of each class.
The Gan children play together in a spacious, park-like, inviting yard, which the educators see as a place for both fun and learning. A sense of real community is built as the younger and older children build relationships through the years. All the teachers know every child at the Gan within a few weeks.
The sense of community that begins in the yard extends far beyond that, into the life of the classroom and synagogue. Temple Beth Abraham’s Rabbi Bloom is beloved by the preschool children. Whether he comes with his guitar to the weekly Shabbat celebration in the classrooms, or brings a Torah-based story to a brief service for the Gan children in the chapel, the children know that he is a teacher for them too.
Family members are welcome volunteers in every classroom. Gan Avraham students and their families enjoy taking part in preschool holiday celebrations, as well as enjoying community service projects and holiday celebrations within the wider Temple Beth Abraham Bay Area community.
Please contact Rachel Fenyves, Gan Avraham Director, for more information about the school. Feel free to call her at 510-763-7528 or reach her by email.
Gan Avraham receives generous support from the
Jewish Community Federation Fund.
