Supporting Early Childhood Educators
The JEC supports Cleveland's Jewish early childhood programs (preschools, day care, etc.) in a variety of ways:
- Associate and Bachelor degrees- the JEC covers tuition at specified colleges/universities, where possible in partnership with the State of Ohio's TEACH program. For more information contact Cindy Bruder at cbruder@jecc.org
- Master level degrees or licenses - JEC provides tuition assistance as part of the community's Professional Growth Plan
- Conferences- the JEC provides funding to attend conferences
- Intensive courses or seminars- JEC provides tuition subsidies.
Professional learning opportunities
- Arranges course that support both an educational program's goals and the State of Ohio's Step Up to Quality star rating system at no cost to teachers. Completion stipends provided.
- Biennial "Yom Iyyun" (day of learning) for teachers
- Annual professional development for educational directors
- Fingerprints: Discovering Jewish Life (a full year holiday-focused curriculum for weekday early childhood programs).
- JEC Outdoor and Nature Toolkit -focuses on ten values related to the out-of-doors that are interesting for young children to explore