About Jewish After School

Jewish after school combines weekday afternoon childcare with Jewish learning and friendship for kids in pre-k through 5th grade.

As part of the daily routine, Jewish after school provides…

  • Transportation

    Working families need transportation from school to Jewish after school. During the accelerator, you'll develop a Jewish after school transportation plan customized to meet your community's needs and challenges. You'll learn how to work with your local school district and government, develop pickup protocols, and teach drivers how to greet and interact with students while in the vehicle. Your transportation plan may include local school buses and routes, renting/purchasing vehicles, or both.

  • Snack, Play, & Homework Help

    All kids need to unwind after school! Your Jewish after-school program will likely include snack time, recess, and homework time. As part of the accelerator, you'll learn how to supply healthy snack options each day, giving kids a choice of fruits, vegetables, and traditional snack items like popcorn and pretzels. We'll help you identify creative ways to use and develop indoor and outdoor play spaces. Finally, you'll learn how to structure your afternoons to include time for homework and tutoring.

  • Jewish Education & Experiences

    Your Jewish after school program will provide deep Jewish learning and connection opportunities through an adaptable, experiential curriculum designed specifically for the after-school environment. Students may learn Jewish holidays, Torah stories, Jewish history, Jewish values, Hebrew language, and Tefilah as appropriate for the families you serve.

Jewish after schools combine successful childcare models with deep Jewish content and community building.

  • Jewish After School Inspires Jewish Curiosity and Connection

    Jewish after school delivers Jewish content that sticks, building a strong Jewish educational foundation.

    When kids connect every day after school with Jewish content delivered via camp-style fun, it has staying power.

    Jewish after-school students play and learn at the same time. Like summer camp every day after school, students in Jewish After School programs build things, make art, laugh, sing, play sports, perform, and more through a Jewish lens that builds connection and confidence.

    The accelerator student curriculum includes:

    Jewish values, holidays, history, global Jewish culture, Torah and Jewish texts, Hebrew, Tefilah/Prayer, Israel.

    Engaging with Jewish content every day builds strong Jewish identities and lasting foundational knowledge.

  • Jewish After School Builds Community

    Jewish after school connects local Jewish families to one another.

    Jewish after-school communities:

    • Connect families in local neighborhoods who attend different schools

    • Nurture friendships through consistent contact

    • Foster parent connections through family events

    • Make Jewish community accessible to families that don't attend religious school or belong to a synagogue

Weekday afternoon Jewish programs are thriving across the country

Jewish Kids Groups

The Jewish After School Accelerator is a national initiative of Jewish Kids Groups (JKG) in Atlanta, GA. JKG delivers fun, camp-style Jewish learning and friendship to elementary school children every weekday afternoon. JKG started with just six children in 2012 and today serves 150 students at four locations, with a total impact of nearly 1000 unique students over 11 years. JKG families enjoy convenient location options, transportation from nearby schools, and generous tuition assistance. The weekday afternoon program provides a welcoming experience to all types of Jewish families, including interfaith and unaffiliated. The Jewish educational backgrounds of students are diverse and teachers are trained to engage all types of learners. As a result, students develop strong and positive connections to their Jewish identities and the larger Jewish community. JKG is a founding member of the Nitzan Network.

Watch a video about JKG’s weekday afternoon program.

Access information for educators about the JKG weekday afternoon program (The Jewish Education Portal)

Across the Country

In addition to Jewish Kids Groups in Atlanta, Jewish after-school programs are thriving in cities around the country including:

  • Edah Community in Berkeley, CA

  • Makom Community in Philadelphia, PA

  • MoEd in Washington, D.C.

  • Jewish Enrichment Center in Hyde Park, IL

We are grateful to the Covenant Foundation for their early support in convening leaders of these organizations.

Grow your organization and strengthen your community with Jewish after school