Elevated Inc.

ElevatEd is a groundbreaking initiative designed to transform the field of early childhood Jewish education (ECJE) by recruiting, training, mentoring, and supporting new teachers and directors. Two years into its five-year pilot, ElevatEd has trained more than 900 new professionals, expanding the reach of early childhood Jewish education across North America and unlocking its potential as a driver of deep, long-term family engagement in the Jewish community.

Launched in 2023, ElevatEd is a unique collaboration among the JCC Association of North America (JCCA), the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). The initiative was established with funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, and other partners, and brings together funders, practitioners, educators, and community leaders in one unified national effort to elevate and revolutionize the ECJE field.

ElevatEd first launched in five pioneer communities — Boston; Denver-Boulder; East Bay, California; Houston; and Long Island — and has since expanded to seven additional communities for the 2024-25 school year: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and St. Louis. Programs serve directors, mid-career teachers, and those new to the profession, with Jewish learning tracks tailored to educators’ experience levels.

Through recruitment pipelines, credentialing tracks, mentorship, and experimentation grants, ElevatEd works in authentic partnership with Jewish early childhood centers and regional Jewish organizations to strengthen the educators who are the heart of Jewish schools and the broader Jewish community.