Unsure whether to send their daughter to a professionally-run frum preschool or a disorganized chassidishe kindergarten, a parent wrote to the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s response didn’t leave any room for doubt.
With the help of Reb Mendel Futerfas, Reb Uri Cohen established a cheder in Holland, al taharas hakodesh, free of secular studies.
The Rebbe encouraged him to receive government recognition despite having only twenty-four pupils, and chose the name for the small moisad, calling it “Cheder.”
In a different episode, a parent from Manchester UK wrote to the Rebbe on 6 Cheshvan 5727 (1966), asking for direction about which school to send their daughter to.
“I have a problem,” he wrote. “There are two kindergartens here, one is run by the Prestwich Jewish Day School, with experienced teachers. The other one, administered by a group of Chassidishe Yidden, with inexperienced teachers, was established only recently and is therefore not so organized…”
“Obviously your daughter should be educated in the chassidshe kindergarten,” the Rebbe responded, “and the question is surprising.”
(Hiskashrus Issue 870)
From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash
It is important to note that in 1966 the predict Jewish day school was mixed, and in fact if you look at the original story the way it’s written up in Hebrew in hiskashrus, the fact that it was mixed was actually the concern or the person writing the letter.
The Rebbe’s response was:
מובן שחינוך בתו צ”ל בגן-ילדים החסידותי ולפלא הספק
The emphasis was “the chassidishe kindergarten,” not “the one with separate genders.”
Seems clear that regardless of that point the Rebbe feels strongly about sending children to teachers who will imbue children with chassidishe feelings above other considerations (without taking away from their value).