(973) 471-PLAY (7529)
(973) 580-8436
passaiccliftonplaygroup@gmail.com

About Us

Gan Kochavim Mission

At our Pre-school, we believe that children are unique individuals who thrive in a warm, secure, and stimulating atmosphere that allows them to achieve their fullest potential. we accept infants ages 6 weeks through kindergaten. By providing an environment that is a safe place for risk-taking, and that promotes the sharing of ideas, we aspire to help students grow and mature physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. We believe that several elements contribute to fostering this environment:

  • The teacher acts as a facilitator in the child’s discovery of learning.
  • Experience gained while exploring allows the child’s natural curiosity to direct their own learning.
  • Respecting the child fosters mutual respect, and respect for all things and people.
  • Creating opportunities to learn about our heritage and Jewish identity supports the learning process in the home.

Malka Slatus

Our Director

Originally from Brooklyn NY, Malka Slatus has been involved in children's programming for over a decade. Malka is the Owner and Director of Gan Kochavim Preschool aka The Passaic Clifton Playgroup, which was founded in December 2014. She looks forward to the opening of her second location in South Jersey for fall. Prior to opening Gan Kochavim, Malka taught preschool for several years and ran programs for children within in the US and Israel.

Malka graduated from Touro College with a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Psychology. She attended Rockland Community College, OTA program, where she pursued a degree in Occupational Therapy. Prior to working as a Preschool Director, Malka worked as a DI therapist for Early Intervention at Kid Clan Associates, in Passaic NJ.

Malka is excited to have founded Gan Kochavim Preschool and looks forward to creating unique programming, as well as a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for the students, parents and teachers.

Our Teachers

All of our head teachers are certified and/or have received a degree in education. They have several years of classroom experience and have been carefully selected and pre-screened. As a NJ State licensed facility, all of our staff undergoes extensive background checks and fingerprinting. Each staff member is CPR & First Aid certified and many of our staff members are bilingual as well.