Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Unlike many preschools, Ahava allows you to enroll at any time of the year, providing there is availability in your child’s age group. When classes are full, we will keep a “wait pool” of interested families.

Ahava’s tuition is very competitive with other metro Atlanta area preschools and is all-inclusive! It includes all food and even diapers and wipes; there is no annual supply fee. At 5.0 hours, our half-day core program is longer than many other preschools.  Additionally, we are open many of the days that other Jewish holidays are closed, such as Sukkot, Simchat Torah and Shavuot. Plus, we offer an added level of flexibility – you do not need to commit for the school year. Our monthly billing requires a 30-day leave notice. We accept all major credit cards, and ACH withdrawals.

Yes! Our preschool is open 12 months, which allows for continuity of care and a consistent routine for your child.

Rising Kindergarteners are honored in a L’hitraot Shabbat service on the last Friday before the Memorial Day holiday each May. Upon return to school after the Memorial Day holiday, we consider ourselves to be in “summer mode”.  Our year-round children enjoy a change of pace, and are invited to wear their bathing suits to school on scheduled days of classroom water play on the playground. The school always closes for a week in the summer to allow teachers an opportunity to engage in professional development, reset classrooms, and spend time in team building experiences to start a new school year.

No! While we do close for certain holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur), we have chosen to remain open to all families for the other holidays when Jewish schools are typically closed (Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, and Shavuot). On these days, we provide programming that is aligned with the holiday that is being celebrated, and may offer opportunities for parents to engage in a holiday experience with their child/ren.   Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, our calendar will be aligned with the local public school district calendar for Spring Break. This means that on the years Spring Break is also aligned with Passover, we will be closed during the holiday; on the years our Spring Break does not align with the Jewish holiday of Passover, we will close for the first night of Seder to allow our teachers and staff the ability to observe the holiday with their families.

At Ahava we do not close early in the Winter for Shabbat. We remain open until our regular closing time. Families that observe the Shabbat are welcome to pick their children up early from school to arrive home and welcome the Shabbat holiday as a family.

Calendar

Because we are prepared to welcome your child every day that we are open, both in terms of staffing and materials, we do not offer a refund for days children do not attend.

Tuition is billed monthly and is due on the first day of the month upon receipt of your invoice. Your child’s attendance will continue to be billed monthly, until you give a written 30-day notice that your child will be leaving the program.

If no notice is given you will not be billed for the next month; however, you do forfeit your $1500 security deposit.

We provide nutritious, kosher, well-balanced meals and healthy snacks. In the pre-school, children dine family style, as mealtime is an important community event. If your child has any specific dietary needs, please let us know and we will work with you and do our best to accommodate them.

Children in diapers are welcome to attend Ahava and we will provide disposable diapers. We recognize that learning to take care of bodily needs is a self-help skill that develops at different times for individual children. Preschoolers will be supported and guided with patience and understanding as they learn toileting and bathroom skills, such as hand-washing, dressing and leaving the facility tidy for the next person. Teachers will partner with parents to assist the child who has shown signs of physical readiness and an interest in using the toilet by:

• Offering many opportunities and reminders to use the toilet throughout the day.
• Encouraging children to let teachers know when they need to use the toilet.
• Assisting with attire and proper hygiene.
• Reminding children to flush the toilet and wash hands after use.

The teachers will positively reinforce children’s efforts, regardless of the outcome. Children will never be punished or made to feel humiliated for toileting accidents of any kind. Children will not be rushed or hurried as they learn these important self-help skills.

Our goal is to create a warm, loving and secure environment  that is conducive to learning, based upon respect for one’s self and for others. At Ahava, we are guided by a respect for each child. We believe that proactive measures (i.e. redirection, structure and teaching), positive reinforcement, and encouragement provide students with information they need to learn and make positive behavior choices. Children are taught and guided through routines and procedures, and teachers reinforce positive behaviors. We do not use corporal punishment or hurtful language.

Children of all backgrounds are welcome at Ahava and we are committed to providing a stimulating and enriched Preschool experience for all. Our program is guided by Jewish values and we teach the children the beauty of Jewish history, cultures and traditions. We respect and honor diversity in our community and seek to create a Preschool where all will be comfortable; a school where children’s awareness of differences among families and between family and school is met with openness and sensitivity.

Unequivocally, YES! When we set out to create the ideal preschool, we had a world of possible curriculums and philosophies to choose from. We chose the Reggio Emilia approach to Early Childhood Education because it is a proven, well-researched model that has been shown to help children prepare for Kindergarten and for life. Additionally, Project Based Learning, which goes hand-in-hand with the Reggio Approach, is now being used at all age levels because it is at the cutting edge of education, and not just for Early Childhood! Many of the finest Elementary and High Schools in the country are choosing to educate children using the Project Approach. Not only will students at Ahava be provided a top-notch academic education, which will ensure that they are attractive applicants for any Elementary School, private or public, Jewish or secular, they will also learn the very important “soft” skills that will stay with them throughout their lives. Our focus on helping children learn Executive Function skills, problem solving and collaboration ensures that they will have everything they need for future success.

Infants                             1:4

Mixed age Toddlers       1:5

Mixed age Pre-school   1:8

Ahava is the Hebrew word for LOVE – More than a Day Care, More than a Preschool, Ahava is your child’s home away from home!