Kids & Teens

Family Resources

Marin
East Bay
Bay Area
Peninsula
San Francisco
Palo Alto
San Mateo

Educational Resources

Bay Area

Moving Traditions
Launched in 2005, organization emboldens Jewish youth to challenge gender stereotyping and other forms of discrimination and to pursue personal wholeness (shleimut), caring connections (chesed), and a just and equitable world (tzedek).
http://www.movingtraditions.org
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Peninsula

Bay Area Jewish Preschools & Day Care

Bay Area Jewish Preschools and Day Care provide award-winning care and programming for your children.  This enables you to relax and focus on your work, knowing your children are well cared for. Innovation and creativity are the hallmarks of Jewish programming in the Bay Area, and these qualities are apparent in our area preschools. A large number of schools are offered throughout the Bay Area for both toddlers and preschoolers. Many organizations offer both half-day and full-day care programs. The groups provide well beyond the basic care children need to set them on a path of a happy, successful life. Jewish values, practice and celebrations are an integral part of most of these organizations.  The preschoolers can get their hands dirty in everything from outdoor planting projects to making Shabbat challah bread. Many preschools are part of a Bay Area religious congregation and others are provided by the various Jewish Community Centers. A number of them provide play-based, homelike settings, while others may feature extensive outdoor areas to romp in. Children from Jewish homes, intermarried households and other faiths and backgrounds are all welcome. Activities are geared towards social, cognitive, emotional, academic and physical development. Many groups feature innovative Reggio Emilia-inspired programming. Toddlers and preschoolers learn about Judaism, its values and practices in celebrations of Shabbat and the Jewish holidays throughout the year. The richness, joy and variety of Jewish life is enjoyed and explored in safe and fun environments. Values and ethics-based curriculum is provided by a number of preschools and day care.
East Bay

Gan Mah Tov
Year-round preschool (2-5 years) and infant and toddler program (6 months-2 years). Full-or part-time care available. Emphasizing social development, emotional expression and Jewish values/traditions.
http://www.ganmahtov.org%20
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Santa Cruz / Monterey
North Bay
Peninsula

Chai Preschool
Offers an enriching and vibrant early childhood experience. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. Goal is to provide a nurturing and empowering program imbued with Jewish values and traditions.
http://www.chaischool.com
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Contra Costa County
San Francisco

Shalom School
Stimulating learning/play environment with Jewish values and celebrations. Diller Award-winning pre-K teacher. Groups for ages 18 months to 5 years. Part-time or full-time. English, Russian and Hebrew spoken.
http://www.shalomschoolsf.com
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Day Schools & High Schools

East Bay
Marin County
Peninsula

The Harker School
Coeducational, independent, college preparatory day school that educates students in kindergarten through grade 12. Three campuses offer outstanding facilities, leading-edge technology and space for students to learn, play and grow.
http://www.harker.org
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San Francisco
Pleasanton

Afterschool, Arts, Sports & Recreation

East Bay
Peninsula

Club J
Enriching afterschool experience for kindergarten through fifth grade. Transportation from many local schools, crafts, sports, community service, swimming, electives, academic support and Jewish programming.
http://www.paloaltojcc.org/clubj
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San Francisco

Special Needs Support

Marin
Bay Area
Peninsula
San Francisco
Palo Alto
San Mateo

Hebrew & Sunday Schools

Listings below include only independent Hebrew and Sunday schools. Many Bay Area Chabad locations offer independent Sunday schools with no membership required. For information on congregation-affiliated schools, call individual synagogues listed under Religious Life.
East Bay
Peninsula
San Francisco

Midrashot & Havurot

Midrashot and Havurot (community high school programs) offer classes and service opportunities for teens.
East Bay

Contra Costa Midrasha
Multifaceted engagement program for Jewish teens (grades 8-12) includes Wednesday night meetings (7:15-9:15 p.m.), weekend retreats, and special programs like Mifgash (Israeli teen exchange), Hamsa Fund, Better Together (intergenerational connections) and Project Ezrach (change-making and citizenry skills).
http://www.ccmidrasha.com
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San Francisco

Bay Area Jewish Teen Programs

The Bay Area’s creative Jewish programming includes many opportunities for teens.  The groups offering these activities are often housed within Jewish Community Centers. These offerings typically have a more secular, sports or recreational focus.  Another common provider of teen programs are those within religious congregations.  These are likely to have a shared religious or values-focused component to the activities and events they offer.   Other unaffiliated groups round out the Bay Area teen opportunities.  Some of these focus on leadership development.  Others provide community-building and social justice programming to allow teens to get more involved with Jewish values.  Also, these groups provide a framework in which teens can develop their social skills while working on common goals.  Still other groups pinpoint Israel as their area of study, programming and activities to enable teens to connect to the Jewish homeland and its people. Further, Bay Area Jewish teen programming can spotlight the environment as the place where teens connect to the earth. Teens have a chance to learn about and volunteer to address the environmental challenges facing the world.  In this type of group, teens can learn to put their energies into bringing about needed change. In this way, they also begin to explore the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, or healing the world. Yet another group enables older teens to work for Jewish non-profits in the Bay Area.  This type of employment provides on the job training. This gives teens a chance to earn money and to learn about what these non-profit organizations do in the community.
East Bay
Bay Area

Einayich Yonim
An 18-month experience for Jewish high school sophomores and juniors with a strong interest in Jewish spirituality, concern for the environment, a background in Jewish learning and a commitment to personal growth.
http://www.eyfellowship.org
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Peninsula

Club Z
The club creates a network of educated and articulate activists with a commitment to Zionism who advocate for Israel. It envisions a network of leaders who embrace their Jewish Identity, are proud of their Jewish heritage, and address issues of bigotry and antisemitism head-on. It fosters teen responsibility, hones their leadership skills and arms them with a supportive network.
http://www.clubz.org
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San Francisco

Jewish Bay Area Day Camps

<div> Jewish Day Camps in the San Francisco Bay Area offer a range of activities for kids and teens.  They are found all around the Bay Area, from the East Bay, to the Peninsula, San Francisco and surrounding counties. The camps may have different areas of focus. Camps feature all-time favorites like swimming, hiking, archery, arts and crafts, drama and various sports. Lakes and lagoons, beautiful meadows and hilly terrain offer city kids a way to experience the outdoors. The Jewish Day Camps also provide nature-based Jewish traditions. People may not think of Judaism as being nature-based but much of Jewish tradition can be found in interactions with the natural world. </div> <div> Many camps combine Jewish content along with the regular camp activities.  These include challah baking and other cooking for shabbat, Jewish music and crafts, and Israeli dancing.  Some camps combine Jewish values into their offerings to teach concepts of repairing the world, charity, honesty and other values along with fun and play. So the Jewish Day Camps provide real-world examples to kids of how Jewish values impact their daily lives, making the values come alive for them. </div> <div> Many Jewish day camps provide overnights, shabbat celebrations and field trips. These would be in addition to daily activities.  And Bay Area Jewish camps promote fun and relaxation for campers, along with intellectual stimulation and experiences with peers that campers would not have access to otherwise. As a result, kids come away with a very well-rounded experience, which will serve them well as they mature. </div>
East Bay
Santa Cruz / Monterey
North Bay

Camp Chaverim
Well-rounded camp in Jewish setting for children grades K-7. Swimming, arts, crafts, sports, music and dance, cooking, field trips, theme days, Shabbat celebrations and much more. Looking for a third week? CBS Camp hosts Camp Invention, too.
http://www.cbsnapa.org
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Peninsula

Camp Keff
Engaging curriculum ignites imagination and nurtures resilience for preschool-grade 12.  Transformative experience with programs tailored to the needs of each child's age and stage.
http://www.campkeff.org
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San Francisco

Jewish Overnight Camps Bay Area

Jewish Overnight Camps in the Bay Area offer a range of wonderful experiences for kids and teens. Camps are found all around the Bay Area, from the East Bay, to the Peninsula, San Francisco and surrounding counties. These overnight camps may have different areas of focus. Many of them include the all-time traditional activities like swimming, hiking, archery, arts and crafts, drama and numerous sports. Others might have multicultural celebrations of diversity. And some provide specialty programs like ocean exploration and performing arts. Being out in rural settings, beautiful meadows and hilly terrain offer city kids a way to experience the outdoors in grand fashion! The Jewish Overnight Camps also provide nature-based Jewish traditions. People may not think of Judaism as being nature-based but much of Jewish tradition can be found in interactions with the natural world. Many camps combine Jewish content along with the regular camp activities.  These include challah baking and other cooking for shabbat, Jewish music and crafts, and Israeli dancing.  Some camps combine Jewish values into their offerings to teach concepts of repairing the world, charity, honesty and other values along with fun and play. So the Jewish Overnight Camps provide real-world examples to kids of how Jewish values impact their daily lives, making the values come alive for them. Many Jewish overnight camps provide shabbat and sometimes holiday celebrations.  And Bay Area Jewish camps promote fun and relaxation for campers, along with intellectual stimulation and experiences with peers that campers would not have access to otherwise. As a result, kids come away with a very well-rounded experience, which will serve them well as they mature. Skill-building in social environments can help kids learn how to navigate without technology pulling their attention away.
Santa Cruz / Monterey
North Bay

Camp Tawonga
Independent residential Jewish summer camp near Yosemite National Park. Summer camp sessions, teen leadership, adventure travel trips, and weekend family camps. Need-based financial assistance available.
http://www.tawonga.org
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URJ Camp Newman
Overnight summer camp in Santa Rosa for grades 1-12, where youth form lifelong friendships, develop new skills, and discover the joy of Judaism through sports, arts, adventure/nature experiences and community Shabbat.
https://CampNewman.org
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Peninsula
San Francisco
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