Who We Are
The Gan is a holistic early learning center located in Rochester, Minnesota. We seek to create a stimulating and enriching educational environment for each one of our students. Inspired by elements of the Reggio-Emilia and Montessori philosophies, we aim to ignite a spark in each child for a lifelong passion for learning and discovery. Our Jewish values drive the curriculum, environment and school culture. We model and encourage kindness, respect, compassion, confidence and responsibility.
We are committed to building a strong educational foundation for our children through play, social collaboration, and exploration. We strongly believe in fostering children’s natural curiosity as a means to inspire learning. Our emergent and experiential curriculum enables our students to draw their own conclusions through exploring and experiencing, which allows them to own their knowledge. If you would like to learn more and take a tour, please fill out this form
We look forward to partnering with you as we guide and encourage your children to grow and discover themselves as young learners.
Our Philosophy
True to our name, in The Gan -garden in Hebrew- a child is viewed as a seed that we nurture with the utmost care. A seed that is most impressionable in its first years, since the seed’s every experience will shape and color the quality of its matured self.
We believe that the early childhood years are the most influential time for children as they begin their journey of learning. This magical time of extraordinary cognitive, emotional and physical growth, combined with an excellent early childhood program, sets the foundation for later learning and social relationships.
At The Gan, this journey is a partnership between children, parents, and teachers. Our goal is to prepare our children for a future where they can flourish. Experts worldwide acknowledge that today’s children need more than the traditional 3 R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic) to prepare them for the future.
Our focus includes the 4 C’s: Critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.
Judaism underscores the uniqueness of every child, teaching us to train children according to their individual paths. We recognize that each child has his or her unique needs, interests and passions. Our children are viewed as collaborators: they are competent, curious, inquisitive, unique, and creative. Our school fosters children’s intellectual development as they are encouraged to explore their environment and express themselves through words, movement, drawing, painting, playing and other natural modes of expression. We plant the seeds for a lifelong quest and LOVE for learning, innovation, and thinking WAY out of the box. Our curriculum exposes children to a wide range of experiences including art, movement, pre-writing and reading skills, social and early math skills, which are all integrated into our hands-on learning. We strive to promote an environment in which children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills for a successful and meaningful life. Each of our students is provided the opportunity to interact in a meaningful environment where they can construct new ideas, learn to think, reason, question, problem-solve, and experiment, as they discover who they are and the world around them.
License number: 1108904
Our Team
Chana Greene – Director
As a mother of three, as well as a highly regarded educator and professional in child development, Chana has a keen awareness of what parents and children seek in a preschool environment. Chana worked as a preschool teacher, educational director, and camp counselor and director with years of experience working in educational settings.
Chana is the founder and current director and teacher at JUDA – an After School Enrichment Program for children and the Educational Director at Chabad of Southern Minnesota.
Chana has always had a passion for Early Childhood, studying at the Teachers Seminary of Sefad, Israel gaining a true appreciation and enthusiasm for early childhood education. Chana views education as a mission, a valued and time-honored tradition.
Jodi Hass – Lead Teacher
With a degree in Early Childhood Development and over 30 years of experience working with preschool age children, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. She spent the last 25+ years as the Kids Club & Family Events Director at the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC) in Rochester, MN. Her enriching program promoted the healthy development of children by focusing on positive and respectful relationships that involved high levels of communication and interpersonal interaction. With an in-depth understanding of early childhood theories, best practices and real-world application, Jodi’s years of experience and educational background taught her how to observe, listen, communicate and plan weekly themes and experiences. In this way, she is able to promote learning through discovery and exploration by using a play based curriculum.
Elle Gravenhof – Teacher
Taryn Benson – Teacher
Our Ages & Hours
- Preschool Hours: 9:00am – 12:30pm
- Early Care: 7:00am – 9:00am
- After Care: 12:30pm – 5:30pm
- Ages: 1 year – 5 years old
Scholarships available