Jewish After School: The Jewish Education Option Modern Families Need

The numbers are in. We have a solution. It’s time to act. 

The April 2023 A Census of Jewish Supplementary Schools in North America 2019-2020 from The Jewish Education Project reported that Jewish supplementary school enrollment decreased by 45% between 2006 and 2020. During the same time, the number of Jewish supplementary schools dropped by 27%.

The 2019/2020 big picture of the two primary school-year Jewish education options for non-Orthodox Jewish American children in grades 1-12 is equally startling to see: 

• 14% attend Jewish day school  

• 26% participate in supplementary Jewish education

• 60% do not receive any formal Jewish education at all

What’s more, these numbers are from four years, a worldwide pandemic, and a surge in antisemitism ago. Today’s numbers are likely more bleak.

TLDR: It’s time for a new Jewish educational option that addresses the needs of the modern Jewish family. 

Jewish after school combines the essential weekday afternoon childcare modern families need with the Jewish learning and friendship families want.

It’s time for Jewish after school.

Modern family life is busy, and Jewish families are more diverse than ever. Jewish parents are juggling work, school, homework, family time, sports, activities, and daily household chores. Many of today’s 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. With all of this in mind, it’s more important than ever for Jewish organizations to provide youth engagement opportunities that are flexible, convenient, accessible, and welcoming. 

Infusing Jewish content into essential services families with young children already rely on, like after-school childcare, makes it easy for families to prioritize Jewish education. 

Jewish after school benefits families and students with:

• Transportation from school

• Homework assistance

• Healthy snacks

• Neighborhood Jewish friends

• Fun, accessible, welcoming, camp-style Jewish education up to five days a week

• A safe, nurturing home-away-from-home while parents finish the workday

Synagogues and other Jewish organizations that run after-school programs:

• Establish a new entry point for families 

• Benefit from a new revenue stream

• Strengthen Jewish connections with a new engagement option

• Gain visibility in the local community

However, most communities don’t offer Jewish after-school programs. In fact, Jewish Kids Groups is one of a very small group of providers that run successful Jewish after-school programs. Others include MoEd in D.C., Makom Community in Philadelphia, Jewish Enrichment Center in Chicago, and Edah in Berkeley.

But just imagine the possibilities if existing Jewish organizations did offer Jewish after-school programs. Jewish elementary school students who would otherwise attend after-school programs at the YMCA or Boys and Girls Clubs would instead fill the halls of underused Jewish spaces and spend their weekday afternoons playing, learning, and connecting with Jewish friends and teachers. More young children would develop a love for Judaism early in their lives making them far more likely to pursue additional opportunities as they grow.

Unfortunately, launching new programs can be daunting and expensive for Jewish organizations that lack the resources, expertise, and start-up capital to achieve success…until now.  

Enter The Jewish After School Accelerator

Following more than a decade of success in Atlanta, Jewish Kids Groups (JKG) set out in 2023 to make Jewish after school programs accessible to modern families across North America.

JKG was awarded a seed grant from The Marcus Foundation and received early support from the Zalik Foundation to launch the Jewish After School Accelerator (JASA) to help synagogues and other Jewish organizations across the U.S. launch their own Jewish after-school programs.

Participating organizations receive guidance from experts and collaborate with other cohort members to:

• Recruit, train, and retain staff

• Structure transportation plans 

• Set up and manage the program’s budget

• Customize the student curriculum Market the program to families

• Set up classrooms and activity spaces

• Establish daily schedules

• Understand students’ developmental needs

• Build strong relationships through effective parent communication

Accelerator participants also receive matching grants of up to $100,000 over three years to offset start-up costs.

The need is clear. The JASA program is strong. The time is now.

The Jewish After School Accelerator needs additional philanthropic partners to bring Jewish after-school programs to more communities nationwide. Funders who want to make Jewish education accessible to modern families may contact Ana Robbins at ana@jewishkidsgroups.com. 

About Jewish Kids Groups

Jewish Kids Groups (JKG) leads the Jewish After School Accelerator which helps organizations across the U.S. start their own Jewish after-school programs. JKG’s Atlanta-based Afterschool, B Mitzvah, and Teen Leadership Academy programs deliver camp-style Jewish learning, connection, and friendship to kids in kindergarten through 10th grade. The organization, which was founded in 2012, provides an accessible and welcoming experience to the increasingly diverse Jewish family. Learn more: www.jewishafterschools.com and www.jewishkidsgroups.com.