About — Intown Jewish Preschool

OUR STORY

In the early 2000’s Rabbi and Dena Schusterman, founders of Chabad Intown noticed that many of the intown Jewish families sent their children to secular private schools of excellence. What if we could provide that kind of progressive early education in a Jewish context, they wondered?

Thus was born the Intown Jewish Preschool. Inspired by the educational pedagogies of local schools and global philosophies such as Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori, we created our own brand of excellence in early learning. Sensitive to the nuance of Atlanta Intown Jewish families from Decatur to Buckhead, we tailor our community to the needs of the lived lives of the children today— a world with a greater sense of emotional awareness, persistent technology, and two working parents—we strive to create a harmonious safe space for the children to thrive.

We began as a “Mother’s Morning Out” with a group of seven children in our current location, the former Canterbury Preschool, three small homes as classrooms and a European style courtyard of outdoor space exceedingly vast for an intown property. Today we have a waiting list for each of our classes. We are hoping to renovate and expand in the near future because we are bursting at the seams!

OUR purpose

Our purpose at the Intown Jewish Preschool is to provide the highest quality, child-centered education and a love for Jewish values in a secure, nurturing and stimulating atmosphere. Our children are viewed as collaborators: they are competent, curious, inquisitive, unique, and creative.

The adult’s role in children’s journey is to support and facilitate their growth and development. This approach fosters children’s intellectual development as they are encouraged to explore their environment and express themselves through words, movement, drawing, painting, playing and other natural modes of expression.

OUR philosophy

We take advantage of the best, most innovative educational philosophies based on the principles of Piaget and Dewey, which respect the natural development of children and provide them with a strong and solid foundation that will prepare them for elementary school.

In the Reggio Emelia approach, the teacher sees herself as a learner – alongside the children – open to new thoughts and ideas. The teacher listens carefully to the children, observes and documents their work, and provokes and stimulates their thinking. As teachers, we are committed to strengthening and enriching our knowledge of young children by continuing our own education.

We promote an environment where children can develop critical thinking and problem solving skills for a successful and meaningful life.

Our teachers encourage our children to reflect, to be independent, to explore, to cooperate, to negotiate, to wonder, to love and to laugh.

Our Jewish values drive the curriculum, environment and school culture. We model and encourage kindness, respect, compassion, confidence and responsibility.

MEET THE leadership

Dena Schusterman
Executive Director

Dena has been involved in early childhood education for over 15 years. She is passionate about delving into the way young children learn and works to implement these best practices into the school fabric of IJP. Dena’s vision for a school is one that is based on the value of being a lifelong learner and creating an environment where children love to learn.

Sonja Knighton
preschool Director

Sonja holds a BS in Elementary Education from Eastern Michigan University, more than ten years of teaching experience in early childhood education, and nine years of directorship In Reggio Emilia and NAEYC accredited preschools.

She has cultivated a broad spectrum knowledge of pedagogy and learning philosophies, including Reggio Emilia, Inquiry Based Learning, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. She has invested herself in studying several social-emotional curriculum such as: Conscious Discipline, The Pyramid Model, The Five Love Languages for Children, Love and Logic.

Sonja is passionately devoted to developing relationships with educators and building an environment where children can flourish.

rena gray
office administrator

Rena holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood education and taught preschool-aged children for 11 years. Now in the office, she works to support the staff and administration in doing what they do best: providing a rich learning experience for the IJP students.

Meet the Team