“An amazing program with amazing people running it” describes Joey Garazi of Skylake, “my daughter looks forward to her time there every day, more than anything else she does.”
It’s no surprise to the community that Dade county’s #1 rated after-school program happens to be run by Chabad! An educational consulting company hired by Miami-Dade to rate all county after-school programs, has rated Chabad Chayil’s program one of the best. After spending two weeks observing and analyzing every aspect of Chabad’s program, Cynthia Serure, president of A Gift for the Soul, Inc. concluded that program was exemplary. “This program scored at the top on virtually all analytical criteria including quality of staff, student-teacher interaction, and curriculum,” said Serure. “It is a model program.”
CHAP, as its known, is not just a once a week Talmud Torah. Its an all encompassing daily after-school program geared towards Jewish children in public schools who have
no formal Jewish education. In addition to Jewish History, Holidays, Traditions & Parsha; they offer Jewish Art, Ceramics, Rikudim, Drama and help with regular public school homework, with options for Music & Chess. Chabad is now running the program for the tenth year out of the Aventura Waterways K-8 Center, the third year at Virginia A Boone Highland Oaks Elementary and of course at Chabad Chayil in Highland Lakes. CHAP runs Monday-Friday from 1:50 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Fridays until 5:00 p.m.).
“This program offers a first taste of Jewish learning in a creative, joyful, hands on and interesting way. We want to impart a sense of tradition using modern and innovative teaching techniques,” says school director Layah Kievman. “This is a Hebrew School where kids can’t wait to come!”
“My daughter currently attends CHAP after-school and it’s her favorite part of the day.” says Erica Chao whose 5 year old goes to VABHOE. “CHAP is the best place for your kids to get their Jewish education” say Oren Yehezkely who had 2 children go through the program, “They’re amazing. They do everything for the kids with a lot of passion, but also with a lot of patience.”
“Absolutely the best program for children and families in South Florida” says Noberto Grinstein of Hollywood, “Their dedicated, caring and sensitive staff consistently address personal needs with a loving and comprehensive approach. My daughter and our family will always be grateful for the unconditional support received at most difficult times.”
CHAP attracts children ages 5-13 from 7 schools and is extremely popular in the area for homeschoolers as well. They have a waiting list for the younger classes and are working hard to build at their own location so they can expand accordingly.
Javier Sumbre who emigrated from Argentina and his wife Jessica from Venezuela, organize their own daily carpool from Ben Gamla to send both their children to CHAP. “This place is awesome for young kids.. my kids love to go, not only [do] they enjoy a lot, they also learn a lot about religion. All the staff is amazing. I really recommend this place. The staff are all so good and nice, that when you get there, you don’t want to leave.”
“A Hebrew School is no substitute for a day-school, but for the thousands of Jewish children attending publics schools, it’s their best option”. “It’s only a matter of funding, and we’ll likely quadruple our enrolled within the next few years” projects Kievman. Chabad seeks grants and sponsors to subsidize the cost of this amazing program. “We seek to ensure that every single child has access to a Jewish education,” states Rabbi Kievman who together with his wife runs Chabad Chayil. “we want them to know who they are, where they come from… and we want them to take pride in it and love it”!
To learn more about CHAP, Summer & Winter Camp, Bar Mitzvah Academy, cTeen Clubs, Tutoring and other award winning programs, contact school director Layah Kievman at (305) 770-1919 or visit HebrewSchool.info.
