Retaining and training early childhood educators is a serious and major challenge, and funders are beginning to be creative about their investment models to increase professional development and compensation for these educators. The Jewish early childhood education (ECE) space faces a similar challenge, with high stakes as well.

The Jim Joseph Foundation is especially attracted to investments in organizations, programs, leaders and educators, and systems that will produce positive outcomes even after the grant period has finished. We believe this is a compelling case for potential funders and ECE programs that are considering a similar type of investment in other communities.

New teachers still engage new families and continue classroom programs using resources and structures put into place by the JRS educator.

An important development is that ECE programs from the pilot cohort independently maintain a position in their schools, allocating the necessary financial resources to continue encouraging classroom teachers.

The responsibility is typically designated to an individual classroom teacher, or shared among teachers and the school director.

The JRS educators continue to coach and offer new resources they create to more classroom teachers so they feel comfortable discussing Jewish elements of the curriculum with parents.

Read the full article on Jewish early childhood education by Seth Linden and Dawne Bear Novicoff at GrantCraft.