Jewish preschools and early childhood centers in Los Angeles are getting a boost: EarlyJ, which makes investments to advance the quality, impact, and reach of Jewish early childhood education, is giving $1 million in grants to 13 schools. They include Temple Isaiah Preschool, Tashbar Sephardic Yeshiva Ketana, Levy Family ECC of Sephardic Temple, Erika J Glazer Early Childhood Center of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and Hillel Hebrew Academy.
“Investing in Jewish ECE, which supports young families at such a formative moment in their lives, is an investment in the Jewish future,” said Sharona Israeli-Roth, founding president and executive director of EarlyJ. “As young families begin to build their life routines, we want the Jewish community to welcome them in and offer the support, rituals, and friendships that add meaning for the rest of their lives.”
“We want the Jewish community to welcome them in and offer the support, rituals, and friendships that add meaning for the rest of their lives.” – Sharona Israeli-Roth
EarlyJ, which was founded in the Bay Area, is supported by The Rodan Family Foundation, Koum Family Foundation, Weingarten Foundation, several other American Jewish funders, and UnitEd/Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. The organization’s investments in the Bay Area have led to a nearly eight percent Jewish ECE enrollment increase as well as six new preschools. Research shows that Jewish preschools and ECEs are where parents and children become active members of their Jewish communities.
“Dan Senor recently talked about investing in a Jewish Renaissance,” Israeli-Roth said. “There’s no more consequential, impactful place to start making that happen than where Jewish communal life truly begins: at early childhood. This is where families first connect to community, where identity takes shape, and where lifelong relationships with other families, with Jewish values, and with a sense of belonging are formed.”
She continued, “If Jewish infant and toddler centers are not easily accessible, parents simply turn to closer non-Jewish options. Once parents start their routine and build friendships at a non-Jewish infant center, it’s very difficult to get them into a Jewish preschool later.”
According to Floryn Rosenberg, director of the Erika J Glazer Early Childhood Center, the EarlyJ funds her school received will go towards an additional classroom for toddlers and a redesign of the outdoor spaces “to reflect the joyful, inquiry-based Jewish learning that anchors our program,” she said. “Our toddler program is often a family’s first step into Jewish communal life. It serves as a gateway into lifelong Jewish connection and belonging. This investment expands access for families, strengthens our educators, and creates meaningful spaces where our youngest children can explore, wonder, and thrive.”
Now that EarlyJ is thriving in the Bay Area, the work will continue there and in LA – and perhaps beyond as well.
“Our investment model has proven to increase enrollment while retaining and empowering educators,” said Israeli-Roth. “We hope other funders and communities commit to creating a Jewish Renaissance, to welcoming more families into Jewish life in these formative years, and to creating a thriving Jewish future.”
