BOARD OF JEWISH EDUCATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
3320 DUNDEE RD, NORTHBROOK, IL 60062 www.bjechicago.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROVIDE JEWISH RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATION.

EARLY CHILD CENTERS (ECC) - LEARNING THAT LEADS TO MEANINGFUL JEWISH LIVING STARTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. THE BJE'S FOUR EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS (ECCS) ARE LOCATED IN THE AREAS OF WILMETTE, NORTHBROOK, DEERFIELD AND LONG GROVE/BUFFALO GROVE. THEY PROVIDE A RENOWN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND CHILDCARE SCHOOL WHICH PROMOTES ALL ASPECTS OF A CHILD'S GROWTH: SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE, AND PHYSICAL IN A CONTINUALLY EVOLVING CURRICULUM AND A RICH, WARM, AND SUPPORTIVE JEWISH ENVIRONMENT WHICH ALSO HELPS FOSTER A POSITIVE JEWISH IDENTITY AND AN APPRECIATION OF JEWISH VALUES AND TRADITIONS. RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS A SUPERB EDUCATIONAL MODEL, WITH HIGHLY EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF OF ALMOST 50 EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHERS, THE BJE ECCS UNIQUE APPROACH INTEGRATES STATE OF THE ART SECULAR COMPONENTS OF EDUCATION INTO A JEWISH FRAMEWORK FOR 245 CHILDREN. BJE-ECC HAS BEEN REVOLUTIONARY IN ITS APPROACH TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1972. A PRIME EXAMPLE IS THE ECCS PIONEERING INTEGRATION OF THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH INTO THE JEWISH PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM IN THE CHICAGO AREA. THE REGGIO EMILIA PHILOSOPHY IS BASED ON RECOGNIZING THAT THE YOUNG CHILD HAS MANY WAYS OF EXPRESSION. OUR TEACHERS TAP INTO THESE WAYS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE THE CHILD IN LEARNING. PROJECT WORK WHERE THE TEACHER AND CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED IN EXTENSIVE INTERACTIVE, THOUGHT PROVOKING DISCUSSIONS, STIMULATE THE CHILDREN TO LEARN AND PROBLEM SOLVE IN A GROUP SETTING. THIS METHOD OF LEARNING RESPECTS EACH CHILD'S IDEAS AND IS KEY TO INVOLVING EACH CHILD IN THE LARGER GROUP EXPERIENCE. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IN-DEPTH APPROACH TO PROJECTS RESULTS IN A STRONGER SENSE OF POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM AND JEWISH IDENTITY IN CHILDREN. THE BJE ECCS COMBINE THIS APPROACH WITH JUDAIC CURRICULA AND DEEPEN ITS IMPACT WITH THEIR LONGSTANDING PRACTICE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. WHAT MAKES OUR ECCS A NATIONAL MODEL, BESIDES OUR GROUNDBREAKING REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH? (1) BJE MAINTAINS RATIOS OF NO MORE THAN 4 CHILDREN TO 1 TEACHER FOR INFANTS, 5:1 FOR TODDLERS AND 7:1 FOR OTHER CLASSES, OPTIMAL LEVELS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL CHILD'S PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL, INTELLECTUAL, AND JUDAIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. (2) HIGHLY QUALIFIED, CARING TEACHERS WHO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND WHO ARE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN INTENSIVE, ONGOING IN-SERVICE EDUCATION. (3) FULLY INTEGRATED CURRICULUM THAT CONSISTENTLY INCLUDES JEWISH VALUES AND EXPERIENCES AND ONGOING PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN THEIR YOUNG CHILD'S EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. BJE'S EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS DIRECTLY IMPACT THE FUTURE OF JEWISH CONTINUITY. THEY REACH CHILDREN AT A DEVELOPMENTAL AGE WHERE LESSONS LEARNED LAST A LIFETIME AND PREPARE THE CHILD FOR SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE. WHEN COVID RESTRICTIONS WERE MANDATED BY THE STATE OF IL IN MARCH 2020, ALL CLASSES WERE IMMEDIATELY TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE LEARNING. THE RENTED SCHOOL FACILITIES REMAINED UNAVAILABLE UNTIL JUNE 30. ALL TEACHERS WERE TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE TEACHING AND WERE EMPLOYED THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AT 75% PAY. TUITION WAS REDUCED IN APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE FOR FULL-DAY CHILDCARE STUDENTS IN WILMETTE AND 35-40 FAMILIES DECIDED TO WITHDRAW THEIR CHILDREN. THE BEGINNING OF CAMP IN WILMETTE WAS DELAYED UNTIL JUNE 29, SO ALL FY2020 CAMP REVENUE OCCURRED IN FY21. TUITION COLLECTIONS WERE IMPACTED BY AT LEAST $250,000 COMPARED TO BUDGET. SOME RENT REDUCTIONS WERE ACHIEVED. THE CASH SHORTFALL WAS MADE UP BY THE ROUND 1 PPP GRANTS RECEIVED IN APRIL AND FULLY EXPENDED ON QUALIFIED EXPENSES BY FISCAL YEAR END.

MARSHALL CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN JEWISH EDUCATION - FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE FRANK G. MARSHALL JEWISH LEARNING CENTER (MJLC) CONTINUES TO BE A LEADER IN PROVIDING MODELS OF BEST PRACTICE, EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW CURRICULUM AND CREATIVE MATERIALS TO ENHANCE JEWISH EDUCATION. AS A CUTTING-EDGE, MULTI-MEDIA JEWISH RESOURCE CENTER, OUR GOAL IS TO IMPACT BOTH THE YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE. TO FURTHER SERVICE THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, THE MJLC HAS CREATED JTEACH.ORG, AN ONLINE RESOURCE WEBSITE WITH OVER 450 ORIGINAL LESSONS. IT HAS BEEN ACCESSED INTERNATIONALLY BY OVER 105,000 VISITORS/EDUCATORS FROM 133 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES WHO HAVE DOWNLOADED OVER 400,000 LESSONS AND RESOURCES.NEARLY 200 EDUCATORS A YEAR FROM REFORM, CONSERVATIVE, RECONSTRUCTIONIST, HUMANISTIC, ORTHODOX AND LUBAVITCH RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS AND DAY SCHOOLS RECEIVE SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR. UP TO 350 TEACHERS ANNUALLY REQUEST AND RECEIVE CURRICULUM IDEAS BY PHONE, WEBSITE (JTEACH), E-MAIL OR FAX, AND APPROXIMATELY 30 SYNAGOGUE SCHOOLS ARE MEMBERS OF MJLC, AND 125 SYNAGOGUES AND INDIVIDUALS PAID TO BE MEMBERS OF JTEACH.ORG. THE MARSHALL CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN JEWISH EDUCATION WORKED DILIGENTLY FOR 18 MONTHS TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN JEWISH ADULTS WHO HAD THE DESIRE TO LEARN AND BECOME POSITIVE ROLE MODELS FOR STUDENTS IN CONGREGATIONAL SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE CHICAGOLAND AREA. IN FY 20 BJE OBTAINED A $100,000 "LEARN TO TEACH" GRANT FROM JEWISH UNITED FUND OF CHICAGO TO CREATE A CURRICULUM AND TRAIN THESE EXCEPTIONAL ADULTS TO BEGIN TEACHING AND SUBBING IN THE FALL, 2020. THE BJE HAD HOPED THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST OF MANY COHORTS OF NEW TEACHERS TRAINED UNDER THE LEARN TO TEACH BANNER. FOUR TEACHERS WORKED ON THE PROGRAM AND HAD 18 ADULTS TRAINED AND READY TO GO INTO CLASSES. FURTHER PROGRESS WAS DELAYED IN MARCH 2020 DUE TO COVID. JEWISH UNITED FUND (JUF) DECIDED TO DISCONTINUE THE PROGRAM IN FY2021 AND $22,000 OF THE GRANT WAS RETURNED TO JUF AS THEY REQUESTED.

CENTER FOR ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION (CAJE) - THE BJE CHICAGO MELTON SCHOOL OFFERED ADULTS SERIOUS JEWISH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WITH A CURRICULUM DESIGNED BY EXPERTS AT THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM. STAFFED BY MASTER EDUCATORS, MELTON STUDENTS LEARN DIRECTLY FROM ANCIENT AND MODERN TEXTS IN AN ENGAGING, NONDENOMINATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT OFTEN LEADS TO TRANSFORMATIONAL JEWISH EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH ADULT LEARNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE CHICAGO MELTON SCHOOL HAD OVER 400 STUDENTS IN FY20. THIS INCREASE MADE BJE ONE OF THE LARGEST MELTON SCHOOLS BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.THE TEXT-BASED MELTON CORE CURRICULA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COURSES:YEAR I - RHYTHMS OF JEWISH LIVING, PURPOSES OF JEWISH YEAR II - ETHICS OF JEWISH LIVING, CROSSROADS OF JEWISH HISTORY JEWISH PROFESSIONAL COHORT CORE YEAR 1 & 2 (25 SESSIONS) IS A SPECIALIZED CORE YEAR I & 2 DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR EDUCATORS AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF AT JEWISH RELIGIOUS AND COMMUNAL ORGANIZATIONS.FOUNDATIONS OF JEWISH FAMILY LIVING - (10-20 SESSIONS) PROVIDES A THOUGHT-PROVOKING ENCOUNTER WITH THE CORE VALUES OF JUDAISM. THIS RICH LEARNING EXPERIENCE WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ADULT STUDENTS TO BRING THE CONVERSATION HOME TO SHARE WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.THE RACHEL WASSERMAN SCHOLARS CURRICULUM - (10 SESSIONS) TAKES STUDENTS ON A JOURNEY OF DEEP EXAMINATION OF JEWISH TEXTS. THE SCHOLARS CURRICULUM PRESENTS CLASSIC AND MODERN TEXTS THAT HAVE SHAPED JEWISH PERSPECTIVES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND INVITES STUDENTS TO LEND THEIR VOICES TO THE AGELESS PURSUIT OF JEWISH WISDOM.THE CENTER FOR ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION ALSO OFFERED BJE GRADUATE CLASSES (NOT MELTON) THAT ARE ACADEMIC, TEXT-BASED CLASSES FOR JEWISH EDUCATORS, GRADUATES OF THE MELTON SCHOOL AND ADULTS IN THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY. THESE CLASSES WERE DEVELOPED AND TAUGHT BY MASTER EDUCATORS IN THE COMMUNITY ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. THE CENTER PROVIDED OUR ADULT LEARNERS WITH ACCESS TO JEWISH LEARNING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE.

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