When Tzippy Cohen-Perlstein’s son comes home from school in a state of euphoria, she knows it’s because his class participated in a TEAM Time puppet show that day. Full of enthusiasm, he fills her in on the details by mimicking the roles of the puppets and the life lessons he gleaned from them. A parent at the Gan Chamesh Preschool, she is grateful that the school brought Project TEAM into their lives. “It gives me, as a parent, the opportunity to harness my son’s understanding and enthusiasm and put it into good use at home,” Tzippy relates. “All the character analogies and their respective lessons have proven to be very useful learning and behavior tools that work over and over again.”
Project TEAM (a Torah Approach to Emotional Awareness and Middos), a project of Tzivos Hashem, is an innovative and highly interactive middos and social-skills training initiative for children ages four through seven, helping them develop and refine themselves to be able to make positive choices with strength of character. Ten new Early Childhood programs will be chosen to join Project TEAM for the 5775 school year.
Lili Moryoussef, Project TEAM Coordinator at the Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, has implemented Project TEAM for some 260 students, with fantastic preliminary results. In the few weeks since the program’s launch, she has already seen a marked difference in her students. “The children have easily embraced the very deep and meaningful concepts that are presented in every lesson,” she says. “They also have a renewed pride in getting along with friends and performing mitzvos.”
Reviewed and approved by a team of experienced educators, rabbis and child psychologists, the program provides teachers with social-skills training and social-emotional vocabularies to guide children to manage their own emotions and brainstorm solutions. The supporting tools enable the lessons to be reinforced throughout the week.
The highly customizable 30-lesson curriculum has already been launched in twelve pilot schools. Teachers are reporting that their young students are gaining profound insight into their emotional world, and are quickly acquiring the tools necessary to overcome their personal daily struggles and build strong friendships. The series covers a wealth of fundamental topics including safety, self-regulation, and respect, while instilling within the children a love for Hashem (watch video).
“Project TEAM has given me the means to take my students’ social-emotional development to the next level,” says Etel, a veteran preschool teacher in the Five Towns of Long Island. “It has made a tremendous impact in my classroom. The teacher training that preceded the implementation of the program ensured that we began well-prepared, and off to a smooth start.”
Whether to further bolster an already thriving social-emotional/middos program, or to inject a wave of positive energy where there is an obvious need, Project TEAM is sure to have an immeasurable impact on students and teachers alike. See what other teachers, directors, and parents are raving about.
Only ten new Early Childhood programs will be selected to join Project TEAM for the 5755 school year. All applications are due February 17, (17 Adar I). Early bird discounts are available until February 3, (3 Adar I). Hebrew schools may inquire.
To learn more about the program and to reserve your spot, visit TorahTeam.com. Shluchos can also meet Morah Sima during the Kinus resource fair on Sunday by the Tzivos Hashem table.
My son loves project team!