Our History
The Islamic Society of Germantown (ISG) broke ground in November of 2014, providing the community with a much-needed, convenient, and comfortable place of worship. About a year later, the Germantown Kids at ISG Learning Center (GKAI) was established under the direction and guidance of Hwaida Hassanein. From day one, GKAI sought to offer learning, development, growth, and Islamic values under one roof. Since its inception, GKAI has endeavored to provide young children with an all-encompassing education, with special focus on math, reading, and Islamic studies including Quran recital and memorization. Fun activities and playtime are also important pillars of GKAI’s curriculum. This way, GKAI’s students become well-prepared for their transition from pre-school to kindergarten and subsequent years of education. GKAI prides itself on being a community-driven project, which has brought together ISG, GKAI staff, and parents to form a solid partnership for the sake of our children, families, and the community as a whole.
Our Approach
How Children Learn
For young children, the finished product is not as important as the process of creating it. For example, painting is how it feels to apply color to things, how colors mix, how paint drips, how people react when it drips! The same can be said for other activities in the program. All children have different learning styles which dictate how they are able to process information at this age. We strive to discover how each child learns best, and then use that to everyone’s advantage.
Supported Development
To guide the learning opportunities provided to children, we generally follow the well-established, research-based Creative Curriculum. This curriculum specifies activities designed to encourage the development of language skills, math concepts, large and small muscle development, music, and art, all in the context of play.
Our Philosophy
We strives to create a caring, healthy, educational and Islamic environment that allows children to realize their full potential in all areas of growth and learning. We promote a safe environment that encourages learning and caters to children’s fundamental need for play and enjoyment. We value the uniqueness and individuality of all children and allow each child to develop at his or her own pace. We embrace and celebrate the diversity of all children.
Our Goals
Establishing a strong academic foundation by engaging children through a variety of current educational practices
Fostering creativity, real-world problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication, and a lifelong love for learning
Creating an active learning environment in which experimentation, exploration, intellectual curiosity and discovery are encouraged
Nurturing the development of children’s positive self-concept by discovering, valuing, and strengthening the unique gifts of each individual
Guiding children to engage in ethical decision-making and to apply Islamic principles in their daily lives through various programs and service learning opportunities
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide students with an excellent academic education and firm grounding in moral and ethical values. The Center fosters a dedication to the All-Mighty through virtuous living in a balanced Islamic environment.
Why Come to ISG Learning Center?
We teach respect. We encourage children to respect people and property including one another, the teacher, parents, and themselves.
We maintain a peaceful environment. In our program, exploration, curiosity, and collaboration are encouraged. In addition to focusing on caring for each other, we teach children to respect and care for our environment. We model for children how to care for our environment through recycling, upcycling, and composting.
Alongside our strong core curriculum consisting of Math, Science, English, Arts and Craft and more, we are also proud to provide children with a specialized Islamic Studies curriculum. This unique curriculum includes not only Quran recitation and memorization but also congregation prayers, basic Islamic manners and etiquette, stories from the prophets and Quran as well as a comprehensive introduction to the Arabic language.
After completing our program we are confident that your child will become a global citizen that will have social-emotional skills to keep for the rest of their lives.
We Proudly Participate In:
Cente
r is Open – Operating with COVID In-Person Procedures