SHALEM
An early childhood learning community for the mind, body and soul
Welcome to Shalem
Shalem is the Hebrew word for whole, and it is the heart of how we teach. At Shalem Early Childhood Learning Community in Manhattan Beach, every child is known, trusted, and free to grow at their own pace. Our small, mixed-age community, for children 18 months to 6 years, pairs research-backed, play-based learning with the rhythms of Jewish life, so children grow in mind, body, and soul, and families find a place to belong.
KNOWN, TRUSTED, AT THEIR OWN PACE
Known: every adult here can tell you what your child was working on last Tuesday. We watch closely, write down their words, and build the next day around what we see.
Trusted: children get real tools, real responsibility, and real Judaica to hold. We believe they are capable learners, and they rise to it.
At their own pace: there is no schedule a child is supposed to be on. Growth looks different in every child, and every path is welcome here.
ROOTED IN JEWISH VALUES
Shalem is guided by Jewish teachings that speak to every family: that each person is created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God; that we treat one another with kavod, dignity; and that we are stronger together as a kehillah, a community. These values shape how we speak to children, how we solve problems, and how we welcome families.
OUR COMMUNITY
Shalem is an independent nonprofit and a proud part of the Congregation Tikvat Jacob (CTJ) Lifelong Learning Community. CTJ is a warm, welcoming synagogue for young and old, and CTJ members receive priority placement on our waiting list.
All families are welcome here. Shalem welcomes Jewish and non-Jewish children and families of every shape, size, and background. Jewish life is woven through our week, and we celebrate the traditions each family brings. The values that guide us are universal. They speak to our shared humanity.
Come see us! The best way to know Shalem is to stand in our classroom, and we would love to show you around. Reach Rabbi Selilah at 914-224-5882 or rabbiselilah@shalempreschool.org to schedule a tour.
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Program
Our Approach
Children learn best through play that matters to them. Building a tower that keeps falling, pouring water from one cup to another, caring for a sick baby doll: this is where thinking, language, friendship, and confidence grow. Our job is to set up a world worth exploring, and then to notice, ask good questions, and step back.
WHERE OUR PRACTICE COMES FROM
Reggio Emilia inspiration: learning grows out of children's own questions and projects. The classroom itself is a teacher, beautiful, open, and full of real materials.
Plan, do, review: children say where they will work and what they will do, carry out their plan, and then share what happened. This simple cycle builds focus, memory, and self-control.
Jewish life as a lens: the holiday cycle gives our year its shape, Shabbat anchors our week, and Hebrew is learned in the moment it is used.
MIXED AGES, 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS
Older children become leaders and helpers. Younger children stretch by watching. Children stay with the same teachers and friends over time, which builds deep trust.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE HERE
A calming corner, not a time-out. When a child is overwhelmed, a teacher comes closer, not further away.
Real repair, not forced apologies. Instead of "say sorry," we ask, "Your friend is upset. What does she need?"
Letters that matter, not worksheets. Children learn letters through their names, signs, lists, and books they love.
Outdoor time every day, and it is never taken away as a consequence.
Encouragement that describes. Instead of "good job," we say what we saw: "You waited a long time for that turn."
SHABBAT AND SPECIALISTS
We welcome Shabbat together every week with songs, candles, Kiddush, and challah. Our children also enjoy time with specialists, including sports with Coach Stephan.
STAFF
OUR TEAM IS THE HEART OF SHALEM
Our teachers are warm, experienced early childhood educators who love what they do and share that love with every child and family. We are a community of lifelong learners, and we keep growing together through ongoing professional development grounded in the latest research on how young children learn.
Rabbi Selilah Kalev, Founding Director
Rabbi Selilah founded Shalem in 2018 with a dream of a school where children, families, and teachers all love coming through the door. This year she is back in the classroom every day, right alongside our children.
An educator for more than 25 years, Rabbi Selilah has taught learners of every age and stage. She has led preschools, religious schools, high school programs, and adult education, and even founded a musical theater camp. She believes nurturing and education are woven into Jewish life, and that both are the foundation of a strong community.
Raised in Alaska as the granddaughter of a Protestant minister, Rabbi Selilah was drawn to Judaism's focus on treating others, and the world, with care and consistency, and she converted in college. She earned her bachelor's degree in music from the California Institute of the Arts, a bachelor's degree in Hebrew letters, and master's degrees in Jewish education and Rabbinic studies, and she was ordained by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at American Jewish University in 2003. Always a learner herself, she recently completed a Master of Arts in Special Education (MASE) at the University of Kansas, deepening her commitment to meeting every child exactly where they are.
Rabbi Selilah is married to Rabbi Kalev, the rabbi of Congregation Tikvat Jacob, and they have two wonderful children, Noa and Jacob.
Marissa Greenberg, Shalom Baby Lead
Marissa Greenberg, LMFT, PMH-C, leads Shalom Baby, our Friday Shabbat gathering for babies, toddlers, and the grown-ups who love them. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and is certified in perinatal mental health, so she understands both the joys and the real challenges of those early years, for little ones and for parents. Marissa also has a strong background in early childhood education, including her director's units, and she steps in to lead the school whenever Rabbi Selilah is away. Marissa is the mother of two: Ruben, a proud Shalem graduate, and Thea, who attends Shalem now.
Debbie Granow, Assistant Teacher
Ms. Debbie is a beloved, lifelong Jewish educator whose warmth, energy, and devotion to children have shaped generations of young learners. A longtime member of CTJ, she has taught First Grade in our Religious School since 1995, and she now welcomes "grandstudents" into her classroom: the children of her very own former students! Her teaching heart reaches wide. She has served as a teaching assistant at Temple Beth Solomon, an all-deaf congregation, and as a substitute aide in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District's Special Education program, supporting students from pre-K through high school. She has a rare and beautiful gift for meeting every child right where they are. Debbie is also a licensed EMT and a proud volunteer with the State of California's Medical Assistance Team (CAL-MAT), because caring for her community, in every way, is simply who she is. She and her husband Les raised their three children at CTJ. Rabbi Selilah has known and worked alongside Debbie for thirty years, going all the way back to the very first Mitzvah Kids program for toddlers, which Debbie ran.
Judy DiPasquo, Lead Teacher
Ms. Judy brings more than twelve years of early childhood experience to Shalem. She has a gift for observing children and helping them grow into kind, confident people. She believes the most important things a teacher brings to the classroom are patience, flexibility, and love, and it shows in her deep care for every child's social and emotional growth. Children can't wait to see what she has set up each morning. Ms. Judy is a mother of five and an auntie to eight, and our community loves learning about her family's rich culture.
