Since we began floating the idea of a community-based Jewish after school about a year ago, it’s become clear that our work is grounded in a few core principles:
Our job is to enrich a child’s Jewish education – to be part of the sum of experiences that inspires children and families to engage in Judaism year after year after year. The Enrichment Center is part of an essential network of Jewish institutions and experiences in which children participate. No single Jewish institution or experience can provide the knowledge and experiences necessary for lifelong Jewish engagement.
2. We Work In Partnership.
Relationships are at the core of our work. We partner with the local Jewish community – to strengthen Jewish engagement across institutional lines, and to allow us, as a community, to use our resources more effectively. We partner with families – to better understand the children we care for, and to facilitate families’ creation of a personalized, meaningful, Jewish life. We want to hear from you.
3. We Include All Jews.
Our Enrichment Center includes Jewish children from all walks of life. We’re committed to ensuring that the Center is a fun, safe, educational environment for all, and that it values the contributions of congregational, unaffiliated, and day school children alike. Our commitment to community leads us to a project-based educational program supported by principles from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. (Click here for an explanation of the educational gobbledy-gook.)
From the language we use with children to the music we sing, from the placement of furniture to the paint on the walls, from parent communication to volunteer training, we’re building every element of the Enrichment Center using these three core principles. Please be assured that we want your voice in the conversation.
For more about getting involved in building our community’s Jewish Enrichment Center, click here.
