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Feb. 24, 2006
Hebrew begins early
Day care offers bilingual environment for tots.
DEBBIE ISRAEL AND LEORA ISRAEL ZELLMAN
The Mada Day-Care Centre, run by Riki Oirechman and Rabbi Shimi
Yeshayahu, is a welcome addition to the Vancouver Jewish community.
Mada stands for mercaz divrei Ivrit (Hebrew-speaking centre)
and is Vancouver's only Hebrew day care.
It was founded in order to provide young children an environment
in which they could speak Hebrew and engage with other Jewish children,
giving them a more enriching experience than ordinary day-care centres.
Although some of the children are native Hebrew speakers, others
have come to the program with little or no knowledge of the language.
Oirechman and Yeshayahu said that those kids who started their program
not speaking Hebrew soon became fluent.
Oirechman was a Grade 1 teacher in Israel. Yeshayahu, who is her
brother, is currently the program director of Eitz Chaim Synagogue
in Richmond. He said a Hebrew day care such as this is badly needed
in the Vancouver area.
The centre is colorfully decorated with children's artwork and educational
toys. A focal point of the play area is a mural for the children
to help decorate according to the season. They also bring seasonal
and holiday-themed "work" home with them. For example,
the children each took home a collection of artwork illustrating
the recent holiday of Tu B'Shevat. They also participate in the
making of challah, which they use in their weekly Oneg Shabbat.
Yeshayahu stressed that the goal of the day care is to encourage
the development of the whole child. "The most important thing
is how comfortable the children are here," he said. "See
how quiet and calm they all are. And look how much they have learned."
The content of the day-care program is based on both Canadian and
Israeli models.
Both Oirechman and Yeshayahu emphasized the most important aspects
of the day care as being the safety, education and comfort of the
children. Mada is more than just a day care for its pupils; it is
a home-away-from-home environment. The daily schedule includes singing,
dancing, nutritious meals (kosher breakfast, lunch and snacks are
all provided), story time, arts and crafts and, of course, educational
play.
The children are taught secular subjects as well as Jewish traditions,
all in Hebrew. The Mada day care is more like preschool than a day
care, in that it gives its students a head start for school.
"Our kids that have been here since the beginning of the year
already know most of the Hebrew alphabet," said Yeshayahu.
The centre currently has seven children enrolled between the ages
of one and four - and Oirechman and Yeshayahu hope to open a larger
centre in the near future. They have already acquired the building
next door in order to expand the current centre.
One young mother expressed how pleased she was with the day care.
"The kids really learn Hebrew here. I know mine has,"
she said. When asked if they spoke Hebrew at home, she responded,
"Actually, we're Israelis. But strangely enough, my daughter
refused to speak Hebrew until after she went to the day care. This
place is really great."
The cost of full-time care at Mada is $800 per month ($450 a month
for part-time care). For further information, contact Yeshayahu
at 778-883-5023.
Debbie Israel and Leora Israel Zellman are
Vancouver freelance writers.
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