Kellman Brown Academy in Voorhees, New Jersey, was already, basically, a year-round, full-service educational institution extending from the infant and toddler stage through eighth grade.
There was only one exception: a camp for infants and toddlers.
Now, thanks to its partnership with Camp Gan Israel, a project of Chabad of Camden and Burlington Counties, KBA is providing that, too.
The school announced the news in recent Facebook posts.
“KBA is thrilled to offer year-round learning for infants and toddlers! Our connection with Camp Gan Israel allows children to continue their journey with us all 12 months of the year,” one said.
The program starts in June and will run on KBA’s campus in the Voorhees Corporate Center on Laurel Oak Road. Camp Gan Israel, a separate institution run by Chabad of Camden and Burlington Counties, already partners with KBA to run a camping program for the school’s early childhood/preschool program. Infant and toddler camp was a natural extension of that existing program, according to KBA Head of School Rachel Zivic.
Zivic explained that, over the last five years, KBA’s day care and preschool program has tripled in size to 66 students. Since parents are already bringing their kids to KBA, they wanted to bring their younger kids, too. The request for a day care program in the summer months was often heard by Kellman Brown administrators in their conversations with those parents.
“Continuity means a lot to our families, so we wanted to be able to meet that need for them,” said Lisa Feingold, the school’s director of admissions.
Kellman Brown Academy, then called the Harry B. Kellman Academy, opened in 1959 as part of Congregation Beth El, a Conservative synagogue in Voorhees, according to kellmanbrownacademy.org. In 2001, it became an independent institution. In 2008, it moved to its current location, and in 2016, it rebranded itself as a “community day school” in an effort to express openness to Jews of all denominations and backgrounds.
Then, in 2022, also at the request of families, KBA added its early childhood program and its first infant room.
Through all this growth, the school has maintained its emphasis on a curriculum that is a combination of general and Judaic studies. With students of all ages unified on one campus, the youngest kids can start their Jewish education early.
“We include them in all-school celebrations, like the model Seder. Our infants and toddlers are part of that,” Feingold said. “Also, we love when they see their siblings. It’s a special piece to have them see each other throughout the school day.”
Camp Gan Israel holds similar values. The Chabad-affiliated summer day camp network operates in communities all over the U.S., and while its days are filled with the typical camp activities focused on outdoor play, camp leaders also emphasize Jewish identity, Hebrew and connection to Israel.
The partnership between KBA and Camp Gan Israel began in 2017, according to Zivic.
“For years, our students have attended their camp, and they love it,” she said.
The head of school also said that the collaboration between the institutions has been so well-received that there’s already a lot of interest in the new program. She estimated that at least 50% of infant and toddler students at KBA during the 2025-26 year will become campers, too.
“We appreciate the relationship we have with the camp directors. They are masterful, joyful Jewish educators. We appreciate the continuity it provides for our students,” Zivic said.
Feingold said the institutions are very much in sync.
“The most important thing is we have shared common goals for our students. We want to provide safe, nurturing environments,” she said.
Zivic has a school motto she often likes to recite: “from first steps to future leaders.” KBA has been working for years to make that vision a reality. The “future leaders” part has been in place, at least through eighth grade, since the school’s founding. Now, the “first steps” part is very much in place, too.
“We think that early childhood is one of the most formative periods in students’ lives. To be able to offer that opportunity for students, to start the path forward for them, is really meaningful and important,” Feingold said.