An Ohr Torah education is a gift of growth that will empower and inspire your children to shine throughout their lives! At OTC, meaningful accomplishments each year lay the foundations for success in the next year and beyond. We see children building themselves into incredible, responsible, positive future leaders of Klal Yisrael. For us, there is no greater job and no greater joy than children reaching new heights in their learning, in their connections, in their confidence, and in their process of becoming!
Our Programs
Ohr Torah Cincinnati’s Toddler Gan offers toddlers the opportunity to work with delicate and beautiful materials in a peaceful and respectful environment and to experience the sense of accomplishment that is so vital to their development. OTC toddlers enjoy an environment scaled to their size, featuring custom-sized tables and chairs, bookshelves, and low mirrors. Each activity in the classroom has a specific purpose which appeals to their natural curiosity and intrinsic sense of order. The children thrive with clearly defined limits and consistent and kind redirection. Because our teachers are avid observers who customize the curriculum to the needs of the children, the work available to them grows and changes with their development throughout the year. To interact with children, Toddler Gan teachers are sure to lower their bodies to the child’s eye level, treating each student with warmth and respect. Through social interactions, our toddler friends discover what it means to be a member of a group, thus learning how to communicate their desires and needs in a gracious and effective way. They are given the tools to develop not only their confidence but their midos, character traits that will serve them—and their communities—throughout their lives. Both Hebrew and English are spoken in the classroom, with a strong focus on prayers, blessings, Jewish culture and traditions
Children select from a variety of works designed to cultivate and sharpen their senses and cognitive abilities and to help them develop focus and concentration. A cornerstone of our Pre-Primary classroom, the practical life area, includes activities such as pouring, tying, polishing, sewing, and woodworking. These skills instill order and discipline and give young children a sense of mastery over their world. They learn the parsha (Torah portion) each week and receive new works in the practical life, language, and science areas in preparation for each holiday. But Jewish content is not limited to these specific subjects. Just as our general studies curriculum exposes children from a very young age to geography, botany, zoology, chemistry, and physics in an effort to open their minds to the wonders of their world, Ohr Torah Cincinnati embraces these areas of study as a way of instilling children with love and awe of Hashem. Similarly, grace and courtesy, are here framed as derech eretz, the critical Jewish value of treating others and one’s environment with respect and kindness.
The Elementary classroom is a learning laboratory designed to foster each child’s intellectual and social/emotional growth. Throughout the school day, children are given the freedom to interact with one another, forming important ideas of society and community while engaging in meaningful academic pursuits. Both General and Jewish Studies teachers are present in the classroom throughout the day, so that children may work in any discipline at any time and develop a sense of cohesion among all areas of study. In this way, we elevate all subjects to the status of limudei kodesh, sacred studies, because every aspect of the curriculum is related to Torah and Jewish values.
Both General and Jewish Studies begin to become more research-based in the Upper Elementary years. Students develop the skills to study Chumash, Navi and Mishna with greater independence and to ask questions about the text that guide them toward commentary and explanation. In Science and History, they learn to explore the make-up of our world and the complexities of the generations who have come before us. The overarching goal of integration is achieved easily at this level, as students are able to consider each Limudei Kodesh topic alongside world history, the sciences, art, and music.
Ohr Torah Cincinnati’s Middle School program began August 2020, expanding our grades served to 7th and 8th. We’re pleased to announce that admissions will be open for new families to apply for our Middle School Program for the 2021-2022 school year.
