At West Suburban Temple Har Zion Early Childhood Program we believe that learning should be an adventure.  Our teachers explore with the children and encourage them to question, research and discover in an environment rich with open-ended materials. 

Children learn when they are excited and interested in a topic, just as many adults do.   When children come to us with a question we do not simply give them the answer; we respond by asking the child what they think, how they could find the answer and what they need.  Through this process, children develop confidence and independence with encouragement from our teachers, their parents and the community around us.

As the school year progresses, the teachers’ document the children’s thoughts, ideas and growth throughout their projects. The learning that takes place is made visible to everyone and the teachers provide parents with emailed documentation (Weekly Updates) and pictures of life in the classroom.

At our NAEYC and Kehillah accredited school we offer a Temple Tot class for toddlers and their caregiver, a 2 year-old program (3 days a week from 8:30am to 11am T,TH and 8:30am to 11:30am on F), a Preschool program for 3 to 5 year-olds (5 days a week from 8:30am to 11:30am) with optional enrichment classes. 

Children who are 3 years old can stay for our lunch (a kosher, organic meal cooked on site) and enrichment program offered M-Th from 11:30am to 1pm.  Each day offers a different program such as Magical Minds Studio, winter workout, science, Hebrew, cooking, health and safety and more.

Our ratios follow NAEYC standards and remain small as we value the relationships teachers form with the children and their families.  As children develop at different rates we accept children into our 2 year-old program in diapers and partner with the families when toilet training begins. 

Camp Zion

Our number one priority at Camp Zion is to provide a safe and fun environment where campers can learn, grow and make friends.  Gadol is for 3 to 5year olds and begins June 11^th and runs through August 3^rd. The “Theme of the Week” will complement our regular camp activities and culminate on Friday as we join the K’ton ton campers and celebrate Shabbat with a Twist! A detailed camp calendar and fact sheet will be handed out at Camp Zion’s parent orientation on Thursday, June 7^th.  For further information contact Ilana Marczak at 708-366-9000 or imarczak@wsthz.org.

Swimming lessons are available M, W, and F after camp for children 3 or older (swim diapers are okay) after camp.

Wild and Wacky Friends (June 11^th –15^th)

Welcome to Summer Camp! Join in the fun as we get to know each other’s crazy side with a trip to Wonder Works and special days such as Pajama Day, Backwards Day, Wacky Hair Day and more as we have fun in the sun.  

Culinary Institute (June 18^th –22^nd)

Aspiring chefs will learn a variety of cooking skills as they explore smell, color, texture and taste. Then put their skills to the test by creating their own recipes and testing them out…..yummy!  We are going to Whole Foods. 

Art-a-palooza (June 25^th– 29^th)

Spend the week working with different mediums to create art inspired by van Gogh, Dali, Monet, and Warhol just to name a few! Families are then invited to view the children’s art gallery at the end of the week! Oak Park Art League comes to camp! 

Party in the USA (July 2^nd – July 6^th)

We are celebrating the red, white and blue!  Bring your bikes & trikes to camp to wash, decorate, and then ride them in our parade around the neighborhood! Outside we will have a red, white and blue picnic and enjoy our home-made watermelon popsicles with our families! 

Ooey, Gooey and Slimy Too (July 9^th – 13^th)

Get ready for a wacky week of icky, sticky, silly stuff. Make your own slime, create an explosion, and body painting; come dressed to get dirty! 

In our own Backyard (July 16^th – 20^th)

Let’s explore! As nature detectives we are going to spend the week exploring our natural world and learn about the animals living in our own backyards.  We are going to Trailside Museum and Karen's Nature Tales is coming to us.

Go for the Gold (July 23^rd – 27^th)                   

An Olympic game extravaganza is what this fun camp week will be! After our opening ceremony campers will get to play a variety of sports, participate in relay races, use team work, and have an awards ceremony at the end!  We will get a real feel for gymnasts as we go to Tri-Star Gymnastics.

Camp Rewind (July 30^th- August 3^rd)

We will spend the last week of camp revisiting all of our favorite activities and games as we put the entire summer on rewind.  The last day all parents and families are invited to camp as we say L’hitraot to our camp friends with events planned by the camper’s themselves and a special show from Maggie the Story teller! 

We invite you to come view our vibrant and innovative learning community where child-focused exploration, creativity and collaboration bring learning to life.  For more information contact Ilana Marczak at imarczak@wsthz.org or call 708.366.9000.