About Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School · Houston
Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School (now rebranding as Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Academy) is a Jewish early childhood program serving children ages six weeks to five years old in southwest Houston's Meyerland community. Located on the campus of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (JCC) at 5601 South Braeswood, the school has been a cornerstone of Jewish early childhood education in Houston since 1987. It is accredited as a 4-Star Texas Rising Star school and offers infant care, toddler, preschool, pre-kindergarten, and an inclusive early childhood intervention program grounded in Jewish values and a play-based, project-based constructivist curriculum.
The Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School (BAS) — recently renamed the Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Academy (BAA) — operates as the southwest Houston early-childhood campus of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (ERJCC). The school originated on Sandpiper Drive in May 1987 as the Bertha Alyce preschool campus, was later sold to Houston ISD, and was relocated as an extension of the Joe Weingarten building at 5601 S. Braeswood in 1991. Today it serves roughly 250 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from the Meyerland area and across the city, welcoming families of all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The Academy is led by Meredith Sakowitz, Director of Curriculum and Student Engagement (a longtime Bertha Alyce leader), with Jacqui Arndt serving as its first Head of School, and is overseen by Chief of Jewish Education Zoe Miller. Its program is built around the JCC Association of North America's Sheva Early Learning Framework, integrating literacy, mathematics, science, arts, and Judaic studies through long- and short-term projects driven by children's own ideas. Daily life includes Shabbat programming, music, CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Children's Health) active play, and a wide array of enrichment — swimming, gymnastics, dance, tennis, theater, fitness, culinary arts, visual arts, and water safety — taught by JCC specialists who come to the classrooms through the "A Touch of the J" initiative. Bertha Alyce is also home to the Karol Musher STARS Early Childhood Intervention Program, which supports preschoolers with disabilities and developmental delays, and to the Sherry Merfish Infant Care Program for babies starting at six weeks. The school is a 4-Star Texas Rising Star accredited provider, partners with the FACTS system for need-based financial aid, and is a beneficiary of the Marvin Barish Right Start tuition-voucher program and the Irvin Kaplan Children's Scholarship Fund, which together serve more than 300 children annually. Although rooted in Jewish identity, Bertha Alyce is open to families of all backgrounds and is described by alumni parents as a warm, inclusive community.
- In business
- Since 1987 (Bertha Alyce preschool campus opened May 1987 at its first Sandpiper location; relocated to the Weingarten building at 5601 S. Braeswood in 1991)
- Owner
- Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (ERJCC) — operated as a program of the J; named for community benefactress Bertha Alyce
- Serves
- Southwest Houston / Meyerland community, with families drawn from across Greater Houston
- Rating
- 2.0 (1 review on MapQuest/Yelp aggregate snippet); not consistently rated on Google
About Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School
Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School — also being rebranded as the Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Academy (BAA) — sits in the heart of southwest Houston's Meyerland community on the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center (JCC) campus. It welcomes children ages six weeks to five years old in a nurturing, inclusive environment, and has been a cornerstone of Houston Jewish early childhood education since opening its original Sandpiper campus in May 1987 and relocating to the Weingarten building in 1991. The school serves roughly 250 children each year and is open to families of all religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
- Ages served: 6 weeks through 5 years (Pre-K)
- Located on the ERJCC campus, 5601 S. Braeswood, Houston, TX 77096
- Part of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center since 1987
- 4-Star Texas Rising Star accredited provider
Programs by Age
Bertha Alyce offers a full developmental continuum from infancy through Pre-K, with each stage tailored to age-specific milestones. Infants begin in the Sherry Merfish Infant Care Program, then move into Young Toddler (18 months), Toddler (2 years), Preschool (3 to 4), and finally Pre-K (PK-4), where the focus turns to kindergarten readiness through handwriting, letters, numbers, social-emotional development, and child-initiated topics like gardening, outdoor learning, travel, and the human body.
- Sherry Merfish Infant Care Program — 6 weeks and up; weekly Shabbat programming, music, CATCH active play
- Young Toddler — 18 months; builds self-control, trust, language, separation skills
- Toddler — 2 years; music, movement, Shabbat, CATCH
- Preschool — ages 3–4; art, writing, science, sensory, discovery, Judaic programming
- Pre-K (PK-4) — kindergarten readiness; handwriting, letters, numbers, social-emotional learning
Curriculum: Sheva Early Learning Framework
Bertha Alyce uses the JCC Association of North America's Sheva Early Learning Framework as its primary curriculum source. Sheva (the Hebrew number seven) represents seven core elements of exemplary early-childhood practice rooted in the latest child-development research viewed through a Jewish lens. Teachers and students are on a continuous cycle of asking questions, researching answers, and co-constructing knowledge together through long- and short-term projects that emerge from children's own ideas and interests, integrating literacy, mathematics, science, arts, and Judaic studies.
- Project-based, emergent constructivist curriculum
- Long- and short-term projects driven by child interest
- Collaboration among teachers, children, and parents
- Daily Judaic content: blessings, Shabbat, Havdalah, Jewish holidays
Karol Musher STARS Early Childhood Intervention Program
The Karol Musher STARS Early Childhood Intervention Program at Bertha Alyce provides a comprehensive, team-based approach to support preschoolers with disabilities and developmental delays. The program offers individualized instruction tailored to each child's needs alongside dedicated family support, with a goal of helping every child reach their fullest potential in an inclusive setting.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
- Apraxia and Childhood Apraxia of Speech
- Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder
- Noncategorical Developmental Delay
- Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Hypotonia
- Speech Delay
Leadership and Staff
In a recent restructuring, Bertha Alyce introduced a new leadership model. Longtime Bertha Alyce leader Meredith Sakowitz moved into the role of Director of Curriculum and Student Engagement, while Jacqui Arndt — previously an early-childhood center director with Bright Horizons at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — was named the school's first Head of School. Chief of Jewish Education Zoe Miller oversees the broader educational vision across the JCC.
- Jacqui Arndt — Head of School, Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Academy
- Meredith Sakowitz — Director, Curriculum and Student Engagement; [email protected]; (713) 595-8175
- Zoe Miller — Chief of Jewish Education, ERJCC
A Touch of the J: Enrichment Programs
Because Bertha Alyce sits on the ERJCC campus, students have direct access to the J's specialists and facilities. The "A Touch of the J" initiative brings tennis, theater, fitness, culinary arts, visual arts, Judaics, gymnastics, and water safety experts into students' familiar classrooms, while instructors accompany children to on-campus pools, courts, and studios. In the summer, enrolled BAA families get priority access to J Camps for 3- and 4-year-olds.
- Swimming and water safety
- Gymnastics
- Dance
- Tennis and sports
- Theater and visual arts
- Culinary arts
- Judaics enrichment
- J Camps summer program with priority registration for BAA families
Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Assistance
For the 2026-2027 school year, Bertha Alyce's fee includes a $200 registration fee and a non-refundable $400 tuition deposit, which is credited to the May 2026 payment. Families needing support can apply through the FACTS system for need-based scholarships, first-time Jewish preschool families may receive Marvin Barish Right Start vouchers of $1,000 to $2,000 through the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, and the Irvin Kaplan Children's Scholarship Fund (funded by the annual Children's Scholarship Ball) helps more than 300 children each year across infant care, preschool, summer camp, and special-needs programs.
- $200 registration fee (2026-2027)
- Non-refundable $400 tuition deposit, credited to May 2026 payment
- Need-based scholarships via FACTS
- Marvin Barish Right Start vouchers: $1,000–$2,000
- Irvin Kaplan Children's Scholarship Fund (300+ children per year)
Visiting and Contact
Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School is located inside the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center at 5601 South Braeswood, Houston, TX 77096, on the Joe Weingarten building campus that the JCC has occupied since 1969. The school is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Families can reach the main office at 713.551.7200 or Director Meredith Sakowitz directly at (713) 595-8175 / [email protected].
- Address: 5601 South Braeswood, Houston, TX 77096
- Phone: 713.551.7200
- Director: Meredith Sakowitz — (713) 595-8175, [email protected]
- Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM
- Website: erjcchouston.org/bertha-alyce-early-childhood-school/