Jewish InteractiveJewish InteractiveJewish InteractiveJewish Interactive
  • Products & Services
    • Ji Products & Services
    • Jigzi
      • Jigzi Help Center
      • Jigzi Training
    • Curricular Content
      • Hebrew Reading Curriculum
      • Ivrit Misaviv La’Olam – עברית מסביב לעולם
        • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2021-2022
      • Tales of Jerusalem – ילדים מספרים ירושלים
      • PJ Library Books on Ji Tap
      • Ji Israel Bytes
      • Ji Bytes
      • Learning Hub
    • Ji Prime
    • Ji Studio
    • The Ji Collection (Ji apps)
    • Training & Support
      • Upcoming Training
      • Jigzi Training
      • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
  • Teachers
    • Teachers
    • Educator resources
    • Professional Development with Ji
      • Upcoming Training
      • Jigzi Training
      • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
      • All professional development options
    • משאבים בעברית
  • School Leaders
    • School Administrators
    • Professional Development with Ji
      • Upcoming Training
      • Jigzi Training
      • All professional development options
      • Workshops: קורס הכשרת מורים ״הוראת עברית משולבת טכנולוגיה בגיל הרך״
      • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
  • Parents
    • Parents
    • Parent resources
    • Learning Hub
    • PJ Library Books on Ji Tap
  • Insights
    • Case Studies
    • Ji Blog
    • News
    • Ji’s 18 Min Leaders – Insights into Success
    • Upcoming Training
  • About Us

Jewish Day School Affordability—Lessons Learned from the Field

    Home Jewish Interactive Blog Jewish Day School Affordability—Lessons Learned from the Field
    NextPrevious

    Jewish Day School Affordability—Lessons Learned from the Field

    By Jewish Interactive Team | Jewish Interactive Blog | 0 comment | 10 July, 2013 | 0
    This post was written by Charles Cohen (@PEJECohen) and crossposted from the PEJE blog with his permission.

    I have spent the last nine months immersed in day school affordability. I eat it, I drink it, I sleep in it. I’ve learned more about the heroic efforts of schools and communities as they try to balance the financial needs of their families with the need to invest in academic excellence so those families will be proud of their sacrifice. After researching Kehillah Funds, middle-income strategies, blended learning, endowments, and other models, some lessons jump out that I think are crucial not just for day schools to remember, but for any organization that hopes to make a lasting impact on Jewish identity without kneecapping participants’ financial well-being.

    We need more data.

    Whether it is about donors, enrollment, parents’ perceptions about their children’s school, or longitudinal information about tuition, fundraising, and expenses, we should be harvesting data as often as we can. JData is an essential tool to not only help track school-specific historical data, but it can put those numbers into context, either for a whole community, or across the larger day school field.

    From survey feedback on a recruiting visit to a spreadsheet that lays out budget growth over time, these data can help schools better serve their students, families, and community. To attract and retain middle-income families, for example, a school should know how to define that group, how many families fit that definition, and how much it will cost to meet their needs.

    We cannot stop looking at affordability from every angle.

    Revenue, expenses, marketing, recruitment, governance… The more we see these as tools to make day school more attractive and accessible to families, the more they will yield opportunities to make Jewish education a fundamental part of every child’s life. Lay and professional leaders in Chicago, Northern New Jersey, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere understand the critical role a community plays in supporting day school education. Their Kehillah Funds are the manifestation of this understanding, and reflect the benefits of cultivating support beyond parents and current donors. If other communities can be mobilized in similar fashion, imagine the possibilities for day schools!

    This is just as true for a school as it is for a community. As seen in the video below, Hannah Senesh Community Day School, in Brooklyn, embodies this effort through its community engagement efforts, and is a useful model for how a school can be an active member of the greater community.

    We cannot stop innovating.

    Are you scared to attempt systemic change? (Don’t be ashamed if you are—change is scary, and we are dealing with children, and parents. A little caution is not unexpected.) Pilot a program in a single classroom, or with a group of parents, or with one event. Set your goals. Evaluate the effort. And grow from there.

    But do not stop innovating. Schools that are experimenting with blended learning are seeing a whole range of benefits, from improved educational outcomes to (potentially) lower costs. Yeshivat Noam, a prek-8th grade school in Paramus, New Jersey, is using blended learning in many of its classes.So far it has produced useful data for faculty, which they have used to target student needs, and more effectively communicate with parents. For a relatively young school in a highly competitive market, this experiment has helped strengthen the school’s reputation, and also coincided with an increase in enrollment.

    We cannot stop collaborating.

    You ran a program that raised thousands from new donors? Great! Tweet all about it! You tried an affordability program, and it turns out only three families took advantage? Great effort! Share the lessons you’ve learned with the field. PEJE builds Communities of Practice to make this all easier. Maybe your colleague in Memphis or San Francisco or Los Angeles has some wisdom to consider the next time you try a similar program. Don’t be afraid to promote your wins, and learn from your setbacks. We learn more from our failures than we do from our success.

    No one hits 1.000. No one makes money on every deal. But as a wise man once said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And there are too many Jewish boys and girls who will not have the opportunity to go to day school, or overnight camp, or to Israel. And perhaps even worse, there are too many mothers and fathers who don’t understand why that is a shandeh (or who don’t know what a shandeh is). We cannot stop trying. So let’s do it together.

     

    About the Author:
    Charles Cohen manages the Jewish Day School Affordability Knowledge Center, a partnership of the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education and the Orthodox Union. A strategic planner with experience building relationships between and among many different Jewish organizations, Charles researches and analyzes affordability strategies including communal funding, blended learning, and endowment funds.
    [clear]
    #               #               #               #
     
    Nicole Nash has been the Head of School at Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn since 2008.  She was the founding teacher of Hannah Senesh from its inception in 1995 and in 2004 became the Assistant Head of School. Under Nicole’s leadership, Hannah Senesh has grown into the vital, vibrant institution of learning it is today and significantly raised its profile in New York City and among Jewish schools. Nicole also has experience in early childhood education, informal Jewish education and Jewish camping. She holds a bachelors degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from University of Rochester, a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education, and has studies at the Principals’ Center of Harvard Graduate School of Education. For more information please e-mail: [email protected].
     
    blended learning, Education, Guest Blog, Hannah Senesh, PEJE

    Jewish Interactive Team

    More posts by Jewish Interactive Team

    Related Posts

    • Ji features in Jeducation World (eJewishPhilanthropy)

      By Corinne Ossendryver | 0 comment

      Jewish Education Just Got Exciting See original blog post Teaching Judaism in non-Jewish schools just got exciting, with the launch of a collection of top-quality educational apps. Interact With Judaism is the culmination of a collaborationRead more

    • Are you up to the Sukkah Challenge?

      By Corinne Ossendryver | 0 comment

      Sukkot is almost here and there’s a big rush to build your Sukkah and get your Arba Minim too! Have no fear Ji has got the perfect package for you – our very own Sukkah Challenge!Read more

    • Technology In The Classroom: The Genie’s Out Of The Bottle – Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg

      By Corinne Ossendryver | 0 comment

      For the original article in the New York Jewish Week (26 August 2016): click here. When students return this fall to Manhattan Day School on the West Side of Manhattan, they will find that theirRead more

    • What’s the impact on human connection? – Rabbi Effie Kleinberg

      By Corinne Ossendryver | 0 comment

      We all have those moments. Moments when we think we have made a breakthrough, a game-changing innovation… and then we see it, at first, it appears as a small hole, but then it grows increasinglyRead more

    • Ji Tap for Tishrei – Sammy Morhaim

      By Corinne Ossendryver | 0 comment

      6 reasons you should download Ji Tap this Tishrei…Tap for Tishrei Whether you’re a kid, parent or a passionate 21st century teacher, Ji Tap will get you set and ready for Tishrei! Here are just a fewRead more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    NextPrevious

    Categories

    • 1st Temple to 2nd Temple
    • 39 Melachot
    • 4 Kidz by Kidz
    • About-page
    • Australia
    • Bar Mitzvah
    • Bellevue Hill
    • Ben adam lechavero
    • Ben adam lemakom
    • Biblical Hebrew
    • Brachot (blessings)
    • Case-Studies
    • Chanukah
    • Competition#1 – July2012
    • Competition#2 – Jan 2013
    • Competition#3 – August2013
    • Creative Tools
    • Diaspora and Oral Law
    • Digital Homework Olympics
    • England
    • England
    • Feedback
    • General calendar
    • General mitzvot
    • Greenfield Hebrew Academy
    • Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy
    • Hasmonean High School
    • Havdala
    • Herzlia Constantia
    • Herzlia Weizmann
    • Israel
    • Jewish Communities
    • Jewish History
    • Jewish Interactive Blog
    • JI Studio
    • Ji Tap Blog
    • Kashrut
    • King David Linksfield Primary
    • King David Victory Park Primary
    • Lighting candles
    • Martin J Gottlieb Day School
    • Mashiach
    • Mitzvot
    • Moriah Jewish Day School
    • My Menorah
    • Naima JPS
    • News Item
    • Pesach/Passover
    • Purim
    • Receiving Torah to 1st Temple
    • Rosh Hashana
    • Rosh Pinah Primary School
    • Shabbat
    • Shavuot
    • South Africa
    • South Africa
    • State of Israel
    • Sukkot
    • Tehillim (psalms)
    • Tisha B'av
    • Torah
    • Torah Academy
    • Uncategorized
    • United States
    • Upcoming Events
    • Wolfson Hillel Primary
    • Yeshiva College

    Jewish Interactive

    Donate to Jewish Interactive

    Jewish Interactive is a registered 501(c)(3)
    in the US with tax ID 46-1331618

    The Jewish Interactive Educational Trust is a
    Section 18A (1)(a) in South Africa
    (Registration IT36/2012) (PBO 930 038 343)

    Jewish Interactive is a registered charity
    in the UK (Charity Number 1151408)

    Useful links

    • Ji Bytes – Daily home studies solution
    • Home Learning Hub
      • משאבים בעברית ללמידה מקוונת
      • Les études juives et les leçons d’hébreu
    • Products & Services
    • Jigzi – New!
    • Ji Tap
    • The Ji Collection (Ji Apps)
    • Ji Studio
    • Teachers
    • School Principals & Managers
    • Ji Prime – Partnership with your school
    • Parents
    • About Us
    • Ji Blog
    • Training and Support
    • Jobs available at Ji

    Subscribe

    Sign up for newsletter

    Follow us

    Contact us

    Contact Ji

    [email protected]

    Ji United States
    Tel: +1 (866) 601-8000

    Ji United Kingdom
    Tel: +44 (0)79 6641 4417

    Ji South Africa
    Tel: +27 (79) 886 5326

    Ji Israel
    Tel: +972 (0) 54-597 9555

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Child Protection Policy
    Copyright 2022 Jewish Interactive Inc | All Rights Reserved
    • Home
    • Home learning hub
    • Ji Bytes
    • Products & Services
      • Ji Products & Services
      • Jigzi
        • Jigzi Help Center
      • Curricular Content
        • Hebrew Reading Curriculum
        • Ivrit Misaviv La’Olam – עברית מסביב לעולם
          • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
        • Tales of Jerusalem – ילדים מספרים ירושלים
        • PJ Library Books on Ji Tap
        • Ji Israel Bytes
        • Ji Bytes
      • Ji Studio
      • The Ji Collection
      • Ji Prime
      • Training & Support
        • Upcoming Training
    • Teachers
      • Ji Teachers
      • Upgrade to Ji Tap Pro
      • Educator resources
      • Home Learning Hub
      • Professional Development with Ji
        • Upcoming Training
        • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
      • משאבים בעברית
    • School Leaders
      • Ji School Administrators
      • Upgrade to Ji Tap Pro
      • Professional Development with Ji
        • Upcoming Training
        • Playful Blended Hebrew Learning – Mini Courses 2022
    • Parents
      • Ji Parents
      • Upgrade to Ji Tap Pro Family
      • Parent resources
      • Home Learning Hub
    • About Us
    • Insights
      • Case Studies
      • Ji Blog
      • News
      • Ji’s 18 Min Leaders – Insights into Success
      • Upcoming Training
    • Donate to Ji
    • Contact Us
    Jewish Interactive