Early Childhood
"Our future depends on our youngest citizens: On how many words they hear in their first months of life; On how often they are held; On the kinds of experiences they have." - No Small Matter
The Jewish Education Project provides opportunities for early childhood educators to connect with and learn from one another, to explore the evolving interests of young families, and to experiment with cutting edge approaches that meet the needs of the Jewish community’s newest members and their families. Together with leaders and providers of early childcare and enrichment programs, we create Jewish early childhood education that is an on-ramp for families’ continued Jewish engagement.
We support our educators and their institutions through creating community and supporting one another. We know the task of working with young children is challenging, yet through continued community support we can learn from one another and raise up the field and the next generation. We offer professional networks for both leaders and teachers as well as run online professional development sessions in partnership with other Jewish Early Childhood Leaders such as The Paradigm Project, JCCA Sheva Center, and Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism. Our work is based on responding to the needs of the field as well as research to ensure that we are supporting our teachers in innovative approaches and child-centered learning.
Learn more about the resources we provide Early Childhood educators on our Jewish Educator Portal.
Below are just a few of our many Early Childhood resources:
Early childhood Holiday resources
The Jewish Educator Portal has curated dozens of engaging resources for Early Childhood and Family Engagement. Included are lessons, curriculums, videos, activities, and more.
Your Socks Are Growing
In this activity from JNF, students will turn their old sock into a planter filled with life. They will learn how easy it is to grow plants, how they can reuse old times for new purposes, and they will develop an exciting connection to the outdoors.
This lesson suits any age as long as an adult supervises.
What to Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious
This resource from the Child Mild Institute helps provide educators and families the tools to support a child experiencing anxiety. It includes concrete steps for managing expecations, modeling, avoid avoidance, and ultimately how to confront anxieties in an empowered way.
School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten
This film is available to order or buy as a resource for your school or community. School's Out tells the story of a Forest Kindergarten in Switzerland.