Our Program
About cdc@cbi
Our Philosophy
We are committed to fostering a caring and supportive community, and our primary objective is to provide a safe and healthy environment that is tailored to each child's unique developmental needs. To accomplish this, we maintain low teacher-to-student ratios, small group sizes, and employ highly trained educators. We supplement our core curriculum with Enrichment programs which may include subjects ranging from Art and Music to Yoga and Hebrew.
We believe in the importance of providing young children with opportunities for holistic learning and growth. As a learning community, we construct emergent curriculum driven by children's developmental needs and interests. Our curriculum framework is designed to incorporate our community's Jewish values and to build vital skills in the realms of social-emotional learning, motor skills, and cognitive development.
Our Curriculum
The Reggio Emilia approach was selected for its alignment with Jewish values and ability to stimulate creativity and learning. This approach is based on the belief that young children deserve experiences that support multifaceted potential and cultivate a love of learning. Teachers in a Reggio-inspired program prioritize mutual respect with students and families, and use children's interests to customize learning experiences. The process and outcomes of children's projects are carefully documented using words and images, which serve as valuable tools for reflection and dialogue.
The Reggio Emilia approach uses an emergent curriculum approach. Emergent curriculum is based on the premise that children are most successful at learning when classroom experiences account for their interests, strengths, needs, and lived realities. Educators use observations of children throughout their day as a tool for guiding curriculum content. Meaningful learning opportunities are then provided in support of key developmental skills relevant to a specific age group. When ongoing opportunities for practice lead to a child mastering a certain skill, educators respond by enriching the learning experience through the planning and implementation of increasingly difficult tasks. As children repeatedly confront and master these “achievable challenges,” they come to view themselves as competent learners. In addition, the alignment of curriculum content with individual interests and social realities serves to validate all forms of diversity and inspires a lifelong passion for learning.
In emergent curriculum, both teachers and students have initiative and make decisions. This power to impact curriculum direction means that sometimes curriculum is also negotiated between what interests children and what adults know is necessary for children’s education and development. Ideas for curriculum emerge from responding to the interests, questions, and concerns generated within a particular environment, by a particular group of people, at a particular time. Thus, emergent curriculum is never built on children’s interests alone; teachers and parents also have interests worth bringing into the curriculum. The values and concerns of all the adults involved, both teachers and parents, help the classroom culture evolve.
Our History
Congregation Beth Israel was originally founded in 1876 by a small group of Jewish families, when the city of Austin was less than 40 years old. You can learn more about CBI's history here.
Original Beth Israel building.
More than 100 years after its founding, the CBI had grown into a thriving community. The Child Development Center was established in 1989 by a group of dedicated community members determined to meet the growing need for full-time, high-quality, student-oriented early childhood education.
The founders of the Child Development Center recognized the need for providing exceptional early childhood education to engage families with young children to foster their connection to Judaism. To achieve this goal, we created an educational model that draws inspiration from two sources: the world-renowned early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and Jewish ideas and values.
Over the years, the school grew to meet the needs of the congregation and local community, now hosting twelve classrooms. cdc@cbi has operated for more than three decades under the stewardship of Congregation Beth Israel, and continues to welcome children, toddlers, and infants of the congregation and the wider Austin community.
Our Facility
Our facility is located on the Congregation Beth Israel campus, in the heart of Austin. We are housed in a spacious building surrounded by the natural beauty of trees, open skies, and peaceful green spaces. From the moment you arrive, you’ll feel the warmth and openness that defines our learning community.
Inside, our classrooms are thoughtfully designed to be both spacious and inviting, offering children a sense of comfort and curiosity. Each room is filled with natural light and equipped with age-appropriate materials that support hands-on discovery, creativity, and social-emotional growth.
Beyond the classrooms, children enjoy access to shared play areas that encourage movement, collaboration, and joyful interaction across age groups.
We are especially fortunate to have ample outdoor spaces that serve as an extension of the classroom. These areas are designed for play, exploration, and nature-based learning—whether it's digging in the garden, observing bugs and birds, or simply running freely in the playground. Our outdoor environment fosters a deep connection to the natural world and supports the development of healthy, active bodies and curious minds.
Being located on the Congregation Beth Israel campus allows us to cultivate meaningful relationships between our children, families, clergy, and congregational members. Jewish values, traditions, and a strong sense of community are woven into the rhythm of our days—through song, storytelling, and celebrations. We are proud to offer a learning environment that honors Jewish heritage while embracing each child’s unique identity and sense of wonder.
Our Policies
Immunizations/Medical Records
Upon enrollment all children in the program must have current immunizations according to the immunization schedules of the Austin Metropolitan Health Department and TX DFPS Minimum Standards.
Parents must provide a statement by their physician certifying that all immunizations are up to date and that the child has been seen by the physician within the past year and is physically able to take part in the CDC’s program. If the CDC is not furnished with either documentation within two weeks of the request, the child may not attend school until the documents are on file
Health & Illness
The staff takes extensive precautions to prevent the unnecessary spread of illness; toys are washed and sanitized regularly in all classrooms, and after each individual child uses and mouths them in the infant and toddler program. Changing tables are disinfected between children, and staff washes hands and wears gloves to protect the children from cross contamination.
All children required to are wash their hands upon arrival to the program, before all snacks and meal, after toileting/diaper changes, after playing outside, before and after water play, and other times as needed.
Children are required to stay home if they have contagious symptoms, like a fever, rash, vomiting, and loose stools until they are symptom-free for a minimum of 24 hours.
Parents will be notified if their child is exposed to a potentially contagious disease while at school.
At the heart of everything we do is your child’s health and safety. We stay up to date with local and state public health recommendations and and rely on our extensive experience to shape our health and safety protocols. Our center is committed to taking meaningful steps to provide the best possible care for every child.
Incident & Injury
All students are carefully supervised throughout the day, but accidents will occasionally occur during normal play. Every staff member is certified in CPR and First Aid. When a child experiences a minor injury—such as a bump, bruise, scrape, or bite—that occurs below the shoulders, cdc@cbi staff will provide basic first aid (for example, applying ice or a Band-Aid) and offer comfort before returning the child to their classroom or outdoor activities. These incidents are documented via incident reports, which are added to the child's physical file. Parents are asked to acknowledge receipt of the report by signing at pickup, and will be provided a copy of the report upon request.
For minor injuries occurring above the shoulders, a parent will be contacted directly by administrative staff, regardless of severity.
In the event of a serious injury—such as a broken bone, deep cut needing stitches, or a loss of consciousness—parents will be notified immediately. The child’s educator will also submit a detailed incident report. If parents cannot be reached, we will attempt to contact the emergency contact listed on file. Should no one be reachable, the child's pediatrician may be consulted for next steps. For life-threatening or urgent situations, emergency medical services (EMS) will be immediately contacted to provide care and transport the child to a hospital if needed.
Emergency Preparedness
We are committed to maintaining a safe environment and being prepared for emergencies. Our comprehensive emergency procedures address situations such as fires, severe weather, and lockdowns.
Our safety protocols include:
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Posting emergency contact numbers next to all phones
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Furnishing all classes with a well-stocked First Aid Kit that is carried with them in and outside of the classroom
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Furnishing all classes with a radio and phone for emergency communication
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Conducting monthly fire drills and shelter-in-place drills every three months
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Displaying evacuation routes clearly in each room
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Undergoing annual safety inspections by both the Austin Fire Department and the local health department
Discrimination Policy
The CDC at CBI does not discriminate against any child based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion or disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be made to provide services to persons with disabilities. All children are accepted on a probationary basis. The staff and parents will assess the child’s needs to ensure that the program is able to meet the needs of the child.
If we anticipate that a child may have a additional needs and would benefit from additional support, the Director will communicate this information to the family in a supportive, sensitive, and confidential manner. We will provide the family with documentation, an explanation of the concern, and suggested next steps, along with information about available resources for assessments.
Parents of children with identified disabilities or special learning needs are encouraged to share their child's Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), specialized learning plans, or recommendations from doctors, therapists, or school districts. We will use this information, along with input from parents, to plan individualized learning activities and assess the needs of the child while in our care, so we can better meet their unique needs.
Likewise, with written parental permission, the CDC director and/or teachers will provide information to therapists, doctors, school districts, or private schools about a child's behavior and abilities while in our care, or copies from the child's assessment portfolio, when requested.
Specialized consultants, such as speech, occupational, and physical therapists, and other professionals, are welcome to arrange a time to observe the child while at our program and provide therapy on-site at the CDC, using a classroom or meeting room. This will require written parental permission and payment directly to the therapist by the child's parents. The therapists or specialized consultants may obtain information from the teacher about the child and/or review their assessment portfolio only with parental permission. Additionally, teachers and/or the director will meet with the parent and therapist to determine the needs of the child while in our care.