History

Temple Beth Ami founded a school for young children in 1989 and fondly called it Temple Beth Ami Nursery School, reflecting our connection to the larger congregation and our priority of providing a nurturing, warm, and intimate Jewish setting for our children.

Temple Beth Ami Nursery School adopted the nickname “TBANS,” using the acronym of the full name, and was known as such for over 30 successful years.

The pandemic of 2020 necessitated a reinvention of our program and the opportunity for a more accurate, meaningful, and modern name. We chose the name “Gan Ami,” which means “Garden of our People.” Our Gan Ami is housed within “Beth Ami,” which means “House of our People. ”Gan” is also the word used for preschools in Israel. So Gan Ami is our garden where we nurture young children’s social, emotional and intellectual growth on their path to a successful future.

Beth Ami’s early childhood program will always stay true to our roots and core values, as we constantly evaluate our programs and strive to meet the ever-changing needs of our community and to ensure children’s readiness for later schooling.