JEWISH LEARNING AND LIVING

With Host Institutions

One the key elements of the JECEI approach to whole school change has been the emphasis on deepening the relationship between the schools and their host institutions. In each of the communities where there are JECEI schools, we have drawn support from a combination of local professionals, executive directors and lay leaders. We have facilitated interaction and coordination among the parents and professionals from the centers and the sponsoring organizations, which include:

• Jewish Community Centers
• Synagogues and day schools covering all ideologies
• Communal stakeholders

These interactions have resulted in both formal and informal learning opportunities for parents and teachers, and have created important linkages among the schools, their host institutions, and local Jewish communities. The communities and institutions become vested in the success of the schools as centers of excellence and sources of families newly and actively immersed in Jewish living and learning. The Jewish ECEs are viewed as the first (and possibly the most important) step in a continuum of Jewish engagement.

JECEI's philosophy is routed in the belief that data are key drivers of real change. Our practitioners routinely collected both qualitative and quantitative information to assess the overall impact of JECEI in the centers and in the communities. We paired that information with research in the field to keep our approach cutting-edge and to maintain excellence.