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[quote=Anonymous]OP--my son was in PEP Collab.  He started when he was 3.5, technically too young for the class but the placement office made it work because I asked for help in getting him into a full day preschool/daycare program like you are looking for.  I believe PEP Classic is available for 4s in the afternoon so you maybe able to work with the placement office and brainstorm ideas.

At the onset, I was told that he would have to keep up with the class academically and that there would be some 4 turning 5 yr olds in the class.  He ended up staying in PEP Collab for 1.5 and we had the same teacher for both school years.

The 2 Jewish preschools that I looked at were Bnai Israel in Rockville and Temple Beth Ami in Darnestown.  Our Dev Ped highly recommened Beth Ami.  The director is was wonderful an I really liked the program.

But Bnai Israel was logistically easier so that's where my son ended up.  Again, the director was fantastic.  His admission was not a slam dunk but I really liked that she reached out to the PEP coordinator and even went on an observation visit to PEP to make sure that her school could handle my sons behavioral issues.  We ended up in a PT class which was perfect because so many parents really want/need the full day component so the actual class size was very small (8:2).  At the end of the morning, the other children were picked up by their parents/nanny and my son was put on the bus for PEP.  Because the director knew we were in PEP, the waiting for the bus component was never an issue.  Someone--a teacher, a staff member, the rabbi, the security guard--was always available to wait for the bus with my son.  The school is very small in general so my son knew all of the adults in the building.

After PEP, the bus brought my son back to Bnai Israel and went to their after care program.  The after care program is out sourced to Academy Childcare which I believe also runs Beth Ami's after care program.  He stayed in aftercare until 5 and by the end of his 4s, he was able to stay until 6.  Again, I spoke to the director ahead of time and told her what my son's issues were and how to help him.  Bnai's preschool director, his teachers, the Academy director, the PEP coordinator, and I all worked together as a team to make sure my son was getting the support he needed.  I think one of the keys to his success there was everyone's willingness to work together.

I would not recommend the JCCGW preschool.  The summer camp inclusion program is amazing, but the preschool lacks the support that the camp offers.  The JCC building is just big and loud.  People have places to go and things to do--they are hustling about.  The synagogue preschools provide a much warmer feel the minute you walk in the building.  The JCC preschool is also very large--both in class sizes and in sheer number of children.  The director will know your child if he becomes a problem.  If he's not a problem child, she will be pleasant and say good morning but will not really know your kid.[/quote]

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