When Jordyn Kerstein found out she was pregnant with her first child, she set out to find a village.
The Roscoe Village mom turned to JUF Young Families events in Chicago to build meaningful connections, celebrate traditions, and give her son engaging experiences that felt both welcoming and accessible from the very start.
This past December, Kerstein attended "Shine Together: A Chanukah Celebration with PJ Library & Jewish Day Schools" at The Family Room in Lakeview. Hosted in partnership with Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, and Chicago Jewish Day School (CJDS), attendees had the opportunity to learn about Chicago's Jewish day schools with representatives from participating institutions while participating in Chanukah craftmaking, open play, and more.
"They went above and beyond to make sure there were age-appropriate sensory stations as well as activities for older kids," Kerstein recalled. "It was an opportunity to meet the schools' representatives and learn more in a very non-pressured environment."
According to Cortney Stark Cope, Director of Admissions at CJDS, the schools do not see each other as competitors. "We can do far more together than we can do individually," she explained. "The more people that we can get in to Jewish day school, the better we all are, which is why we work together. A rising tide lifts all boats."
"At the end of the day, if a family chooses a Jewish day school, that's the most important thing," said Rebecca Frazin-Chan, Director of Admissions at Bernard Zell. "Being able to have this opportunity to provide these safe havens for families and students scream Modeh Ani down the hallway is amazing."
The program was made possible by the program Engage: Growing School and Community Partnership, funded by Prizmah, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and Lisa and Arieh Coll. At its core, Engage is a partnership between a Jewish day school, the local PJ Library, and Prizmah. Together, they design and offer welcoming, low-barrier programs for families with young children. JUF also matched the grant dollars.
"Prizmah has supported Jewish day schools in strengthening enrollment and community collaboration for many years, but the level of partnership among Akiba Schechter, Bernard Zell, and CJDS stands out," said Beth Rivkind, Director of Enrollment Growth at Prizmah. "These schools are approaching family engagement through a shared lens and aligning around common goals rather than competing for attention. This mindset allows them to pool resources, learn from one another, and strengthen enrollment efforts across the city."
Following December's collaborative event, the individual schools will host events in partnership with PJ Library. Instead of traditional open houses, the events will feature similar play-based activities while parents can explore the schools and network with other families.
"It's very low stakes," said Carla Goldberg, Director of Early Childhood and Admissions at Akiba Schechter. "It's an opportunity to see schools in action, where it doesn't feel like they're being judged. It's really important to provide the space for young families get to come together for a little bit of time and feel that that connectedness.
"The message to families is: Look at these three schools. One of them is going to speak to you. Hopefully, and more than one may even speak to you," added Cope. "You will find the right fit for your family."
PJ Library is part of JUF Young Families and is a gift to Chicagoland families from the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago.
To register for the schools' individual events in partnership with PJ Library, visit:
tinyurl.com/PJAkibaSchechter
,
tinyurl.com/PJBernardZell
, and
tinyurl.com/PJCJDS
.
