Description:
The Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) is a nonprofit organization serving Southern Maine. A merger of the Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation of Southern Maine, the JCA combines programming and fundraising for the Jewish Community. Its mission is to build Jewish community locally, in Israel and throughout the world. The JCA develops, provides, and supports diverse programs, education and services. We work with other Jewish organizations and local congregations, and functions as the hub of Jewish programming in Southern Maine.
Quality Rating - Step 4;
We have three children and have been at the JCA for 7 years! We are already dreading saying goodbye when our daughter leaves in 2 years. It is hard to imagine our lives without the JCA, the community and staff, and the feeling of home when we enter the doors. The teachers are all outstanding, full of compassion and love for each child. They truly get to know each student well, everything from their little quirks to their larger needs. The director, Mary Lily is the heart of the school and is one of those people who brings so much love and pride into her work. Her love for the children is contagious and it has been such a pleasure and very touching over the past 7 years to witness her truly enjoying each child and with such an open heart. The feeling of the school is one of celebration and the Jewish values that they use as part of their curriculum are appropriate for any child, no matter what their religion. This is because what they are teaching is universal: respect for one another, helping our friends, being true to ourselves, and making our community a better place. All three of our children are better people because of their time at the JCA!!
I am an Early Childhood Special Educator and have been providing early intervention services for the past 17 years in the greater Portland area. The Jewish Community Alliance Preschool (JCA) is a high-quality Early Childhood program that is accredited with the highest of standards by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is a wonderful community of administrators, teachers and families. The teachers are very compassionate, professional and genuinely care about every child in their care. The families are always welcome and are encouraged to be involved if they are able to. Parents are supportive of the schools programming and will often be seen volunteering for various activities in the classrooms. I give the JCA my highest recommendation!
JCA is a wonderful preschool. The staff is amazing, and most stay for years. There is extremely low turnover. The staff is very nurturing. They focus on play-based learning, but the kids are well-prepared for kindergarten.
How surprising to find that my name had been used to write a terrible review of the JCA preschool, when in reality I couldn't be more pleased with the care my children both received at the JCA. The JCA teachers and administrators go above and beyond every day to provide excellent, loving, personalized care for children. The teachers are not only knowledgeable about child development, current issues in curriculum and instruction, and best practices in early childhood education, but also absolutely love their students. Children are joyful and safe at the JCA, and learn the building blocks of academics and social skills. The school's mission is tied to issues of social justice, and children learn how to help make the world a better place, which is clearly needed! My children each spent three years at the JCA, and couldn't have had a better experience. We are extremely grateful to the care and dedication of their teachers, for loving our children as we do and helping raise them into the caring, curious elementary-aged kids they are today.
The quality of care and instruction at the JCA is second to none. Both of my children attend full-time and love every minute of their time at the JCA. The teachers are extremely knowledgeable about early childhood development and create a safe, nurturing environment that engages and inspires.