Family Engagement

Overview

Early childhood education represents a unique opportunity to engage both young children and their parents in a rich and meaningful Jewish communal life. JECEI transforms preschools into Jewish early childhood centers that ignite a desire and commitment in families to continue Jewish learning and living beyond their preschool experience and inspires increasing numbers of new families to enroll in Jewish early childhood centers of the highest quality.

The primary mission of a Jewish Early Childhood Center is to motivate families on their individual and communal life journeys.

The families and staff of the center enter into a covenant of mutual support with clearly defined and evolving obligations and roles. The families and staff study together, reflect upon and grow their community of which the center is at the heart but which expands beyond to encompass the day-to-day lives of each family.

JECEI places unparalleled emphasis on the importance of serious Jewish inquiry and dialogue on the part of the entire family in the community of the early childhood center. A central goal is to significantly upgrade the Jewish experience and commitment of families who enroll in an early childhood center. Independent of family background, immersion in Jewish values, community and life will transform the face of families with whom we are involved.

Families that come together on a continual journey that implies both struggle and promise and pauses for moments of celebration. The schools’ families gather regularly together for Shabbat, holidays, and at transformative moments. They also gather to learn and grow through inquiry and dialogue. Families celebrate together as they become cognizant of the blessings of life within community.

JECEI has established a set of core Jewish values and ideas that guide our work in constructing Jewish early childhood centers. Understood as “lenses,” they enable us to see our world more clearly and in a particularly focused way. Through study and discussion of these lenses, teachers and parents create a shared vision and sense of belonging.

The lenses are:

• Masa (Journey) reflection, return and renewal
• B’rit (Covenant) belonging and commitment
• Tzelem Elokim (Divine Image) dignity and potential
• K’dusha (Holiness) intentionality and presence
• Hitorerut (Awakening) amazement and gratitude
• D’rash (Interpretation) inquiry, dialogue, and transmission
• Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World) - responsibility

D’rash: Inquiry questions for families to connect to the lenses.

Masa/Journey: What memories and stories does your family create?

Brit/Covenant: Do you and your partner have a covenant or brit about how you want to live and grow as a family?

Tzelem Elokim/Divine Image: What does it mean to see each child as being created in the divine image?

K’dusha/Intentionality: What does your family bring to a sacred community? What is your family’s sacred space like? When and how does your family have sacred time?

Hit’orerut/Wonder: What does it mean to be a family that lives with wonder? How do we build in gratitude into our lives? How does gratitude provide deeper and more moments of joy?

Tikkun Olam/Repairing the World: What is our responsibility in repairing our own relationships and the world around us?

At this stage of their lives, many parents of young children parents are considering questions of identity and connection for themselves and their children. In addition, they are seeking the best educational environments available for their children.

JECEI has developed a unique model of Jewish family life education that offers a supportive community for both children and parents and an excellent learning environment.