The S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation has launched a major new initiative, “Reducing Barriers and Increasing Access to Jewish Life,” designed to tackle the twin challenges of affordability and access when it comes to Jewish life.
The initiative will make at least $1 million available for scholarships, while providing an additional $500,000 to support early childhood education and programming for special-needs children.
There are three program tenets, titled: Affordability Project, Early Childhood Education and Special Needs.
For the Affordability Project, the federation, with the support of individual and foundation donors, will award 6,000 scholarships to needy families who wish to join synagogues and other institutions. ECE will focus on increasing access to a high quality Jewish preschool for all families. Special Needs will assist local Jewish institutions in becoming more inclusive of Jewish children who have special needs, by funding professional training for educators, expert consultation in early childhood education, quality camping experiences and social enrichment activities.
The federation will convene a series of events to share information on strategies and preliminary goals, and gather input from the community. The first of these events, focusing on early childhood education, will take place May 24.
For more information, visit www.jewish-fed.org.