About the Program

The Jewish Resource Specialist is a new program of the Early Childhood Education Initiative. Launched in the fall of 2011, the program aims to establish a family connector and on-site mentor at Bay Area Early Childhood Jewish Education sites by adding these responsibilities to the portfolio of a qualified educator at the school. Generously funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, the program will be piloted in five Jewish preschools over the next three years with the ultimate goal of establishing a sustainable model that can be shared with the community. 

The Jewish Resource Specialist at each site will work with parents to engage them in the Jewish community and to help those connections continue beyond the preschool years. In addition, the JRS will work with teachers at the school to create individual professional development plans, and to establish a more vibrant and comprehensive Jewish learning environment in each classroom. Once the pilot program is complete, this model will become available to Jewish preschools nationally, with the goal of sharing an effective family connector and mentorship model that can be implemented widely within the Early Childhood Jewish Education sites.

For more information, please contact:
Janet Harris, Director of the Early Childhood Education Initiative at janeth@sfjcf.org or call 415.499.1223 x8104

The Jewish Resource Specialist Program is generously funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation.