In the changing landscape of Jewish education, we look to the now and to the future to help you respond and innovate. Our special initiatives also strive to raise you up and celebrate your courage and accomplishments as professionals.
Voices for Good Initiative
For women in the professional Jewish world
A multi-pronged initiative designed to advance gender equity in Jewish life, and support women in positions of leadership and influence.
Special Needs & Inclusion Initiative
For Jewish educators across organizational settings
Tools, training and consulting services to ensure that all children can participate fully in Jewish life and learning, and all Jewish educators are equipped to create inclusive learning environments for children with special needs.
The Ruby Award
Celebrating the work of educators and professionals who work with adolescents in the Bay Area
Established in 2020, the Ruby Award is our award for excellence in Jewish youth education and engagement, a cornerstone of both the vibrant present and future of the Jewish community. The next Ruby Award ceremony and day of learning will take place in 2026.
ElevatED
For East Bay early childhood education professionals
The East Bay Jewish early childhood community is one of five pioneering communities participating in the first cohort of ElevatED, a national effort uplifting the profession of early childhood educators by increasing the number of qualified educators in communities.
Jewish LearningWorks will convene this cohort of emerging educators over 18-months for weekly learning and mentorship. Participants will also receive funds to pursue academic credentials required to become a fully licensed early childhood teacher.
This special initiative includes a micro-grant program designed to help Jewish preschools establish or extend experimental initiatives in the areas of staff recruitment, staff retention, staff mentorship or family engagement.
ElevatED is a partnership of the Union for Reform Judaism, the JCC Association of North America, and The Jewish Federations of North America.
For more information, please contact Ellen Lefkowitz at [email protected].
The Orchard
For early childhood education teachers
Jewish LearningWorks is proud to be one of twenty-five organizations from around North America that bring you The Orchard—a joint initiative that advances the professional learning of educators in Jewish early childhood centers.
The Orchard offers a variety of virtual workshops, from teaching the Jewish holidays, to child development and pedagogy, to teaching American holidays through an equity lens. These are some of the winter workshops we are looking forward to:
Learn what Reflective Supervision is and what it is not. Join Jenna Turner to get the basics on reflective supervision and how to start to embed the process in your practice.
This workshop will take place on January 13, 2025 from 3:00 to 4:45 pm EST.
Join to grow your knowledge of Jewish holidays and the rituals associated with them. You will become more intentional as you plan curriculum that supports the “Big ideas” that underlie each holiday or event.
This session will take place on February 6, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:15 pm EST.
Please join to:
- Recognize how diagnosed or as-yet-to-be-diagnosed challenges impact students’ experiences in an early childhood setting.
- Understand how issues with sensory integration and receptive and expressive language impact a child’s individual experience in the classroom and behavior.
- Learn concrete strategies and techniques for adapting experiences for these students.
This session will take place on February 13, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:15 pm EST.
Five sessions introducing participants to concrete ways to develop a settled, joyful classroom. Each session is dedicated to practical strategies for offering both clear guidance and open-ended discovery experiences, and how to support children’s sense of independence and communal responsibility. You can join for one or as many as you want.
The first session takes place on January 30, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:15 pm EST.
This series powerfully combines the benefits of one-on-one coaching, professional development workshops, and team-building experiences to support participants. The focus of this program is not on the technical elements of participants’ jobs but on cultivating the self-awareness, interpersonal communication skills, and emotional intelligence required for intentional, effective, and adaptive leadership in today’s ever-changing landscape.
From January 22 until May 21, 2025.
