b"job for her; it speaksreasoned,Thisis to the core of who shethe first time your is as a human. children are out of Withacur- your home; its im-riculumwrittenbyportantthatthey Frumie,KinderGanlearntobegood usesTorahportionscommunity mem-tiedtoreal-lifeles- bers.sonsforexample,Thesewords learningaboutani- aresurelymusic malsthroughthetoFrumiesears. Frumie Bogomilsky leads a preschool class in circle timestory of Noahs Ark orFamilyandcom-where children get to take turns discussing a variety ofexploringmountainsmunityareattheKinderGan's new preschool space has been upgraded from topics. and volcanoes via thecenterofevery- three small classrooms to four spacious classrooms. They offer Jewish holiday of Shavuot, the celebration of the time at which the Torah wasthing she does. Asthe children many different centers and areas of play. given to the Jewish nation on Mount Sinai. In fact, Frumie strongly believes theMararecounts,I connection to Jewish thoughts and beliefs can be tied to almost every facet ofsaw two children run up to Frumie, asking her which one of them was taller. life experience that her students will need to know as they begin to encounterMara remembered that Frumie knelt down to speak to the two children, saying the world around them. According to Frumie, the school aims to integrate Jew- softly and surely, You are both exactly as tall as you were meant to be. Simple, ish and moral values alongside an enriched preschool curriculum. true, and affirming.And while students at KinderGan learn the basics most preschools teach to pre- While KinderGan is flourishing, and her children have begun to forge their pare children for kindergarten, Frumie often speaks to the larger purpose. Maraown lives, Frumie has started to think about her future. And while some people Bernstein, a mother of two daughters who graduated from KinderGan, eachmight decide that raising a large family, while creating and expanding a successful there for three years, has only wonderful things to say about her childrens expe- preschool might mean its time for some respite, Frumie is thinking of becoming a rience. The first word out of her mouth when describing the preschool is heart.teacher trainer, imparting her learned experience to others entering her field. It She goes further to say, At KinderGan you were treated like a family member,makes sense she will not sit out: She is a doer, someone who does not see obstacles, adding that while she looked at other schools with many bells and whistles, itonly opportunities. And, most importantly, it appears Frumie has a lot to share. was the traditional nature of KinderGan that drew her in, along with the schoolsA long-time Maplewood resident, and reluctant empty nester, Tamara Steckler is focus on teaching kids what it means to be part of a group, a community. As shefascinated by stories of all kinds. A SUMMER ADVENTUREIS WAITING FOR YOU!LEARN MOREA SUMMER ADVENTUREIS WAITING FOR YOU!Summer Camp Options for Children Ages 3-17!Summit, NJSummer camp options for boys and girls ages 3-17!Day Camp C areer SeriesK indergarten ReadyMini CampsSummit, NJ S ummer Scholarswww.oakknoll.org/summer Y outh Sports Camps20/ matters magazine / winter 2022"