At Ruth Landau Harp Early Learning, we believe the early years of a child’s life are the most crucial. What experiences and opportunities they have in the first five years are critically important and form the foundation for all future development—emotionally, socially, physically, and cognitively. This period of rapid brain growth shapes the architecture of their developing brain, so it is important that they are exposed to the highest quality Education and Care.

It is also a time when children are filled with wonder and excitement as they explore and make sense of the world around them. In designing our unique curriculum, we have ensured that every learning experience and environment is tailored to suit the varying developmental stages of our children, as well as their ever-evolving interests and curiosity.

As the only Jewish Early Learning Service in WA, our holistic curriculum highlights Jewish values and holidays while embracing all areas of the Early Years Learning Framework. This integrated approach ensures a well-rounded program that seamlessly weaves together identity and self-discovery through language and communication, art, science, music and relationship building —each designed with Judaism in focus. Our curriculum supports every child’s intellectual, social, physical, and emotional development.

We embrace a play-based Pedagogy that supports Article 31 of the UN Conventions on the Rights of the child, “to play”.  All classroom environments are enriched with learning opportunities, where children are empowered to choose how and where they learn and engage. Each space is thoughtfully designed with purpose and intentionality, with educators supporting and nurturing children’s growth cognitively and emotionally while helping children to engage meaningfully with those around them.

Jewish celebrations and festivals are open to all families and embedded to nurture a love and excitement for Judaism. Through stories, interactive songs and role play, these concepts are brought to life in ways that are developmentally appropriate and meaningful for the children. The different Chagim help inspire our classroom learning environments and act as a foundation for deeper exploration and understanding of the world. Our values promote kindness, care, empathy and sustainability—fostering respect and responsibility for our beautiful world.

Each Friday, we celebrate Shabbat with a much-loved community gathering. Together, we model the Shabbat traditions observed in Jewish homes. The children participate by baking challah, the traditional braided bread, and take pride in being part of this meaningful weekly ritual. Throughout the year, we also observe key Jewish holidays and events. For example, during Tu B’Shvat, the ‘birthday of the trees,’ we celebrate with a party and learn about the seven species of trees from Israel. Before Pesach, we hold a mini Passover celebration and shared specially made Haggadah. These are just a few examples of the many meaningful learning opportunities offered through our celebration of Jewish holidays. Each one brings excitement, engagement, and opportunities for discovery.

Our bilingual curriculum is delivered in both English and Hebrew. Each topic introduces children to key Hebrew vocabulary, which they are encouraged to use in everyday conversations—supporting language development and deepening cultural understanding. With specialist staff to support our teams, we always have much higher ratios of adults to children.