New preschool applies Montessori methods to Jewish learning

To teach Jewish preschoolers to sort and separate, Esther Becker may ask them to distinguish between kosher and non-kosher animals.

Sorting is a popular activity at Montessori schools, and starting Monday, Aug. 31, Congregation Chofetz Chayim, 5150 E. Fifth St., will host the Tucson Jewish Montessori for preschoolers.

As far as Becker knows, it’s the first Tucson school to apply Jewish learning to Montessori methods, an approach to education that emphasizes hands-on and self-directed discovery.

“Montessori takes the abstract and brings it down to the concrete,” Becker said. “It’s making it real for children.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Esther Becker will work with the preschoolers, along with her husband Rabbi Israel Becker, a teaching assistant and a Montessori teacher. The Montessori emphasis on compassion and ethics fits well with a Jewish perspective, Esther Becker said. Lessons will include Jewish stories and the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The school for children ages 3 to 6 opens Monday, Aug. 31 at Congregation Chofetz Chayim. Children will be in a blended class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with additional childcare available before and after. Tuition is $650 per month.

For more information and to register, visit tucsonjewishmontessori.org