Anna Hartman, Director of Early Childhood Excellence at JUF and of The Paradigm Project, is a recipient of the prestigious 2021 Covenant Award. Presented by the Covenant Foundation, the award honors excellence and innovation in Jewish education across the country, and is one of the highest honors in the field.
Hartman joins two other celebrated Jewish educators in receiving this award, both located in New York: Helene Drobenare-Horwitz, Executive Director, Young Judaea Sprout Camps; and Judith Turner, Senior Program Officer for Volunteer Services and Intergenerational Program Engagement at DOROT, a Jewish non-profit that provides services to the aged and volunteer opportunities.
"I feel deeply honored to receive this award from The Covenant Foundation," said Hartman. "I am grateful for the opportunity the award affords me, to honor the educators working tirelessly and skillfully to support the learning and development of our community's children. Jewish early childhood education, with its sacred partnership with families, is my beloved field, and I am humbled to be among its ranks."
During her tenure at JUF, Hartman has developed a variety of programs. These include the Chicago Teachers Project, a laboratory for Jewish early childhood education, and the Early Childhood Collaborative, which strategically addresses issues facing the field, including tackling immediate needs that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hartman also established a fully funded cohort of master's students in early childhood education for current teachers in local Jewish preschools, and created a robust menu of professional development opportunities that engage 200+ educators per year.
In 2011, Hartman co-founded, and has since directed, The Paradigm Project, a national organization that empowers educators with vision, tools, and a vital network of 250 + colleagues from across the country.
Elizabeth Abrams is Assistant Vice President of Marketing Communications at JUF.
