For thousands of families each year and for communities around the country, Jewish life begins in early-childhood education. At Jewish preschools, parents often form their first adult Jewish relationships, and children learn about and experience Jewish values. The relationships and communities developed in such settings help grow and strengthen synagogues, schools and other institutions.
Yet despite the importance of their work, Jewish early-childhood education (ECE) leaders are too often left out of broader Jewish leadership conversations.
To be clear, they do more than run preschools. They are organizational executives, pedagogical visionaries, community-builders and first responders to family needs. They navigate increasingly complex operational realities—staffing shortages, regulatory demands, financial pressures—while holding deep responsibility for Jewish culture, values and educational quality. Their decisions shape whether families feel welcomed, supported and connected to Jewish life at its entry point.
Yet historically, leadership pipelines in the Jewish communal world have not centered on them. When professional development for these educators is offered, content tends to focus on compliance rather than leadership growth. As a result, many talented Jewish ECE leaders are under-supported, even though their leadership is vital in welcoming families into Jewish life, in addition to creating strong institutions and communities.
If we fail to invest intentionally in such leadership development as we do for others in the community, then we are failing to plan for a vibrant Jewish future. When Jewish ECE directors and senior educators are supported to think strategically, manage sustainably and lead with confidence, preschools are better-positioned to retain staff, adapt to changing family needs and serve as anchors of Jewish community. Strong leadership directly translates into stronger institutions.
Equally important, Jewish ECE leadership development should be included at the center of Jewish communal life, not at its margins. Bringing these leaders into shared spaces alongside synagogue leaders, federation professionals, funders and lay leaders enriches the entire ecosystem. These educators bring essential insights about families, inclusion, equity and the lived realities of Jewish life today.
This is why leadership initiatives must be both deep and connective.
At the Z3 Leadership Lab for ECE, funded by EarlyJ, ECE directors and educators come together alongside other educators and leaders from the community. Siloes are broken down, and relationships are built and strengthened.
EarlyJ’s Early Childhood Higher Education Program supports Jewish ECE educators to work toward advanced degrees at American Jewish University’s Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership (90% of the tuition is funded by EarlyJ and AJU) while remaining embedded in their preschools and communities.
In addition to gaining deeper pedagogical expertise and more confidence, strategic capacity and professional credibility, participants are better equipped to navigate complex operational challenges, lead teams effectively and advocate for the central role of early-childhood education within the Jewish communal landscape. Importantly, educators who earn their degree receive a significant salary increase to reflect their new professional status and expertise.
For example, Karla Cianci, site director at the JCCSF Helen Diller Family Preschool, and Mykenzie Busser, assistant director of education at the Oshman Family JCC Leslie Family Preschool, earned their degrees last year, and were so inspired and energized by their cohort and learning experience that they planned an all-day retreat for their peers, supported with a grant from EarlyJ.
“Kehillah and Kavod: Sacred Connections” will be held on Feb. 13 at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, Calif. It is expected to bring together more than 300 early-childhood educators from across the Bay Area, including Sonoma, Palo Alto, Lafayette, Oakland, East Bay and North Bay, for a day of professional development, wellness and renewal.
If we care about Jewish continuity, belonging and vibrant community life, then we must invest intentionally in developing and elevating Jewish ECE leadership—the teachers, directors and administrators who engage our youngest learners and their families.
After all, Jewish life does not begin in adulthood. It begins in early childhood. Our leadership investments should reflect that truth.
