Rachel

My daughter attended the Chabad Preschool in Victoria for 3 years. During this time, I never once doubted our decision to send her there. The program is fun, educational, with capable staff who are committed to addressing the needs of each child. Also, as a Jewish parent in a largely non-Jewish city, I felt it important that my daughter attend a school that is culturally relevant to us, with children who share the same background and traditions. The Chabad Preschool does an excellent job of seamlessly integrating Jewish traditions into a classroom environment, so that my daughter was well equipped to make the transition to Kindergarten. It is of note that my daughter is a special needs child, with an autism diagnosis. It isn't easy sending a non-verbal child to a social group environment, but Chabad Preschool really made it work. They sat down with us and went over her needs and abilities, addressed our safety concerns, and supplied an aid that enabled her to participate in the class activities. I was impressed by how inclusive the environment was, and how they were able to facilitate her interaction with the other children. My daughter made a lot of progress there. She is now attending grade one full time, and is a happy and sociable child who is well liked by her classmates. It took care and patience to ease her into a classroom environment, and to teach her how to appropriately interact with her peers. I am forever grateful that I was able to send my daughter to Chabad Preschool.

Oshrit

Since I moved to Canada, the Chabad Preschool has been a vital part of my family’s integration into Canadian society, while maintaining important Jewish traditions and culture.

At the Chabad preschool, my kids have a wonderful caring, loving, and supportive environment where they are able to learn about Jewish culture and tradition, as well as the Hebrew language, writing, math, and nature. They are also encouraged to develop their critical thinking skills and creativity. My kids look forward to going to school every day. The Chabad Preschool is an important resource in the community, and enriches the cultural fabric of Victoria as a whole.

Maria

I'd like to express my appreciation for the Chabad Preschool program and its teachers. Although my family is not of Jewish background, our daughter was welcomed into the classroom and community with open arms. I believe my daughter’s involvement in the program has enabled her to experience first-hand the traditions, beliefs and practices of another community, and will encourage her to be an open minded and conscientious individual. It has always been our philosophy to encourage our child to have an awareness and respect for those of other cultures and the Chabad Preschool has been a wonderful environment for her to experience a different way of living. Our daughter thoroughly enjoys her time with her teachers and friends and has loved participating in all the holiday and traditional celebrations. It is always wonderful to hear of the new things she is learning about and I look forward to watching her continued growth within the Chabad Preschool.

Jen

When the children go to Chabad Preschool, we as parents can rest assured our children are safe, well ­loved, kept clean and happy and most importantly, they are taught to know and love our High days and Holy Days. They look forward to the coming seasons and their respective festivals and enjoy learning the basics of both Hebrew and English. Interestingly, they don't even realize they are learning to read and write in not one but two languages and are academically ready to start confidently in kindergarten. Without Chabad Preschool many families would remain unaware or unknowledgeable about so many of our less “well­known” holidays. During their years at Chabad, our children learned so much of our Jewish history and loved to go to preschool. They adored their teachers and looked forward to starting school each day. The children developed friendships with our Jewish children that they will hopefully carry with them for a long time to come. Chabad Preschool is definitely a very important part of our community and is vital to the future of the next generation.

Jessica

Both of our children have attended the Preschool, and have benefited enormously from doing so.  As parents, we have been immensely pleased that our children have received the highest Preschool education that facilitates their intellectual, social, physical, and creative development.  For Jewish families such as ourselves, Chabad Preschool provides an additional vital service to our community by also providing for the spiritual development of our children in a setting that instills Jewish values, customs, and traditions.  This vital service enables our children to grow with pride in their Jewish identity, and we hope that the Preschool will continue to evolve and expand to provide this experience within our growing community.

Michelle

I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have found the Chabad Preschool. It can be hard as a mom to leave your child but when I come back to see a grin from ear to ear I know Ethan has had a great day. Thank you for the wonderful program you run. I couldn't be more pleased. You helped to make Ethan's transition to Preschool better than I thought possible. We look forward to seeing you again in September.