Grow your organization and strengthen your community with Jewish after school

The Jewish After School Accelerator (JASA) provides your organization with the tools, guidance, curriculum, and financial support you need to launch your own successful Jewish after-school program. 

Participating organizations will:

  • Establish a new entry point for families 

  • Add a new impact stream

  • Increase your organization's visibility in the community

  • Provide more children with accessible Jewish experiences and learning 

Jewish organizations with 501c3 status are eligible to apply.

Please complete the application so we can consider your organization when Cohort 3 opens.

Modern families need convenient options for Jewish engagement

Modern family life is busy, and Jewish families are more diverse than ever. Parents are juggling work, school, homework, family time, activities, and daily household chores. Many families include single parents or two working parents who are overwhelmed with the demands of modern life. 72% of non-Orthodox Jews who have married since 2010 are intermarried.

Jewish after school bundles Jewish learning with an existing family need for weekday childcare after the school day ends. As participation in traditional programs wanes, Jewish organizations must pursue new ways to engage families that are flexible, convenient, accessible, and welcoming.

Attract new families

Your new Jewish after-school program provides a way to reach families who may not connect with your organization’s existing offerings.

Strengthen Jewish connection

With programming available up to five days a week, Jewish after school provides a way for new and existing families to develop lasting Jewish connections and knowledge. It also creates a path for future engagement in other programs as children grow into their teens. 

Add a new revenue stream

The Accelerator program guides your organization to achieve financial sustainability based on earned revenue alone by the third year of operation. The Accelerator’s matching grant of up to $100K helps cover start-up costs. 

The Accelerator Experience

As an Accelerator participant, you will receive the coaching, collateral, capital, and curriculum you need to launch a successful Jewish after-school program. You’ll be able to customize every single element to fit the needs of your unique Jewish community.

  • COACHING

    As part of the Jewish After School Accelerator, you'll receive guidance from experts and collaborate with other accelerator cohort members to:

    • Customize the curriculum for the families you will serve

    • Recruit, train, and retain staff

    • Set up classrooms and activity spaces

    • Establish daily activity schedules

    • Market the new offering to families

    • Set up and manage your program's budget

    • Structure transportation plans

    • Understand students' developmental needs

    • Deliver engaging and joyful Jewish learning

    Throughout the one-year program, you will learn best practices, tackle challenges, and celebrate success with a cohort of professional colleagues.

  • COLLATERAL

    Accelerator participants have access to a portfolio of tools and resources designed to help you plan, launch, and run your Jewish after-school program.

    Accelerator leadership will help you customize each of the materials to fit the mission, vision, and goals of your organization.

    Materials include:

    • Human resources documentation including job descriptions and teacher training materials

    • Transportation guidance and planning materials

    • Marketing templates and calendars to encourage enrollment

    • Parent communication templates to build strong relationships

  • CAPITAL

    Jewish After School Accelerator participants are eligible to receive a matching grant of up to $100,000 over three years to offset start-up costs.

    The Accelerator program guides your organization to achieve financial sustainability based on earned revenue alone by the third year of operation.

  • CURRICULUM

    The Jewish After School Accelerator curriculum:

    • Includes Jewish values, culture, holidays, Torah, history, prayer, music, Israel, ritual, Judaica, and Hebrew language (reading, writing, and speaking)

    • Is pedagogically appropriate and designed specifically for the way kids learn after a full day of school

    • Is customizable to suit your organization’s style of religious observance

    • Is appropriate for a range of learning types

    • Is interactive and experiential to keep students engaged

Apply Now

Application Timeline

Please complete the application so we can consider your organization

for future cohorts.

Before you begin your application, be sure to have the following

information available:

  • Current enrollment numbers for youth and family programs

  • Current membership figures for families with children (birth to age 11)

  • List of your organization’s programs that serve Jewish youth during the

    school year

Accelerator Program Details

What organizations are eligible to apply to the Jewish After School Accelerator?

The accelerator is open to Jewish organizations with 501c3 status. 

How are participants selected for the Accelerator program?

Organizations will be selected based on criteria that indicate a high likelihood of program success including:

    • Level of commitment of professionals and lay leadership 

    • Access to physical space and infrastructure

    • Community support and interest

    • Number of potential participating families

    • Childcare needs and existing options in the area

    • Existing Jewish enrichment opportunities in the area 

    • Proximity to schools and areas with Jewish families

How long does the program last?

The Accelerator program lasts about a year with continued support in years two and three of operation.

Where does the program take place? Is travel involved? Does the Accelerator cover travel costs?

The Accelerator includes online and in-person elements. Participants will attend an in-person kickoff conference during which you review program elements, create a project timeline for your organization, learn after-school teaching techniques, and connect with other cohort members. Online, you’ll experience live workshops, access resources, and attend individualized coaching sessions to keep your planning on track. Additionally, your coach will visit your school to provide the in-person support you need. Travel expenses for the kickoff conference (meals, lodging, transportation) are included for primary participants in the Accelerator program.

Who from my organization participates in the Accelerator? What does participation look like?

Each organization will designate a primary Accelerator participant, who will take on the primary role of starting the program. Ideally, this primary participant will become the full-time Jewish After School Director and will oversee staff and operations when the program opens to students. In addition to the primary participant, there are many opportunities for executive directors, clergy, education or program directors, along with finance, communications, and marketing professionals to attend workshops and coaching sessions. Primary participants will attend all workshops and coaching sessions, and will be encouraged to invite others from the organization to attend sessions as necessary or helpful. 

Who is running the Accelerator program? How is the program funded?

For the last 11 years, Ana Robbins, founder of Jewish Kids Groups in Atlanta, and her team have been refining the processes, templates, and tools required to connect children with Jewish friends, culture, and Hebrew language after the school day ends. JKG started with just six children in 2012 and today serves 150 students annually at four locations.

In 2019, JKG’s professional team and board of directors decided it was time to help communities across the U.S. establish Jewish programs to engage children on weekday afternoons. Rachel Dobbs Schwartz joined the JKG team in January of 2023 to establish the accelerator and secure funding.

In 2023, JKG was awarded a seed grant from The Marcus Foundation and early support from The Zalik Foundation to launch the accelerator. JKG is seeking additional funding to bring Jewish after school to as many communities as possible.  

I have questions before I apply. Who can I contact?

We are happy to answer your questions. Use the contact form below or reach out over email to accelerator@jewishkidsgroups.com

JASA Participants

Cohort 1: After-school programs opened fall 2023

Temple Sinai of North Dade in Miami, FL: www.clubsinai.org

Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, OH: www.homebaseafterschool.org

Temple B'nai Abraham in Livingston, NJ: www.jplaynj.org

Cohort 2: After-school programs open fall 2024

Congregation Anshai Torah in Plano, TX

Hamakom in Woodland Hills, CA

Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro, CA

Temple Judea in Coral Gables, FL

Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, FL

Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, MA

Temple Shalom in Naples, FL

Temple Sinai in Oakland, CA

JASA Leadership

Rachel Dobbs Schwartz, Chief Innovation Officer

With 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector - teaching, building curricula, developing leaders, and non-profit business systems and structures, Rachel has a breadth of professional expertise, from teaching in the classroom to directing overnight camps to facilitating institutional change. Rachel enjoys helping others develop passions, refine processes toward efficiency, manage staff and faculty, and solve problems. Her passion for supporting local Jewish organizations, combined with her love of summer camp education and community, has brought her to JKG as the Chief Innovation Officer, where her primary goal is to scale the impact of weekday afternoon Jewish programs across the country and beyond. 

Kendra Wolpe - JASA Cohort Director

Kendra is a trained coach specializing in executive function. Kendra is passionate about finding creative solutions for challenges in her clients’ work and personal lives. An expert in motivational interviewing, she identifies the essence of a client’s challenge and works to translate these challenges into immediate, specific action. Kendra has also been a long-time teacher at Jewish Kids Groups in Atlanta, and understands the impact and potential of bringing this type of program to the national stage. Kendra has deep experience in facilitating and mediating in communal spaces. She is skilled at recognizing emotional needs at both a group and an individual level. Kendra graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in Psychology. She is passionate about creating positive Jewish experiences for young families and helping to spread the magic of JKG.

Tova Tritt - Business Expert

Tova has over 18 years of experience in early childhood education. She began teaching in the classroom, before transitioning into administration, where she served various roles including the Director of Administration and culminating as the Executive Director. During her tenure as an Executive Director, she increased enrollment by 50%, maintained accreditation and licensing, and oversaw the development of other directors and team members through training and coaching both locally and nationally.  Tova is eager to get involved and her willingness to help others has led her to serve as an advisor and consultant in local Jewish Day Schools, throughout the Jewish community and JKG.  As a believer in personal and professional development, she is excited to serve in this role and looks forward to bringing JASA to other communities across the United States. 

Allison Boaz - Communications & Marketing

Allison has been helping organizations communicate effectively for more than 20 years. She partners with clients to develop communications that address customer pain points with empathy, clearly articulate product and service benefits, and provide the reassurance potential customers need to take action. Prior to forming her communications business in 2011, Allison spent seven years managing global digital communications for The Coca-Cola Company and directed projects at two digital marketing agencies. From 2013-2018, she developed the communications, marketing, fundraising, and operational systems to evolve a new summer camp from a young startup to a robust organization that grew nearly 400% in just five years. Allison has been leading communications for JKG since 2020.

Ana Robbins, Executive Director, Jewish Kids Groups

At every level from the classroom to the boardroom, Ana creates experiential opportunities that build human connection. She lives by the ethos of experimentation, self-reflection, and continuous iteration because she thrives in the areas of improvement and efficiency. In 2012, Ana founded Jewish Kids Groups in Atlanta to deliver fun, camp-style Jewish learning and friendship to elementary-aged children every day after school. The innovative program has since educated and enriched the lives of more than 1000 students at four locations. In 2023, upon securing a grant from The Marcus Foundation, Ana and her team developed the JASA program and began scaling the weekday afternoon Jewish engagement model nationally.

Tobin Belzer - Sociologist

Tobin Belzer PhD (she/her) is an applied sociologist whose research and program evaluations for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and secular non-profit organizations and philanthropists have focused on education, identity and character development, organizational culture, teens and emerging adults, leadership development, congregational studies, gender, arts and culture, special needs inclusion, and Jewish/Muslim relations. Belzer is a Contributing Fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the University of Southern California and a Research Affiliate at Stanford SPARQ. She earned her doctorate in sociology and joint master’s degree in sociology and gender and women’s studies from Brandeis University.

Grow your organization and strengthen your community with Jewish after school