The JCC Association of North America, Jewish Federations of North America, and Union for Reform Judaism have announced the expansion of ElevatEd, a collaborative initiative designed to transform the field of early childhood Jewish education.

A three-year pilot program, ElevatEd was established in 2023 in five regions with funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, and the Samuels Family Foundation. With new philanthropic commitments totaling more than $10 million, ElevatEd is focused on the recruitment and retention of educators in the early childhood Jewish education space.

The initiative will add seven cities to the project for the 2024-25 school year: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and St. Louis. ElevatEd’s Jewish learning tracks are tailored to educators’ experience levels and familiarity with Judaism and the age group they teach. Local efforts include an introductory course for those new to Judaism, an intermediate course focusing on Jewish holidays, and an advanced track for educators in schools that teach Torah or the weekly parsha. In addition, learning tracks for early childhood program directors apply recruitment practices from the business and nonprofit sectors to early childhood education settings.

“We are thrilled to partner with seven new cities across the country for the second cohort of ElevatEd, as we continue to refine our talent and recruitment strategies and adapt our curriculum based on valuable feedback from the first cohort,” said ElevatEd executive director Orna Siegel. “While expanding into new diverse communities, we are deepening our relationships in the five communities from our first cohort. This dual focus allows ElevatEd to test and strengthen our approach across different environments, ensuring that we effectively support the entire early childhood Jewish education field.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SeventyFour)