Preschool Capacity
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Expanding Horizons
Expanding preschool capacity is imperative as it serves as a pivotal gateway to the Jewish community. Nationally, an average of 20% of Jewish families attend Jewish preschool. However, in the Bay Area, as of 2017 we are only reaching 16% of families, presenting an opportunity for growth. Regionally, this potential is even more pronounced. For instance, in the East Bay, where a growing number of families with young children have settled over time, the reach is currently around 7%.
During the pilot phase, with the goal of extending our impact among families within existing Jewish preschools, we initiated a request for proposals to increase enrollment capacity. This initiative resulted in the allocation of a total of $1.12 million to the nine preschools, which ultimately increased the reach of Jewish preschools from 5% to 7%. As a result, an additional 90 children in the East Bay now have the opportunity to attend Jewish preschool each year.
As we move closer to our goal of 25% of families enrolling their children in Jewish preschool, EarlyJ will be offering additional capacity-building grants. At the same time, we are exploring new models to reach new audiences.
