Our mission is to engage and educate children and families in joyful Jewish community.

We do this by equipping individuals who are personally and/or professionally dedicated to teaching, learning, and growing with young children to maximize their impact and increase their efficiency.

Jewish Family Jams leaders can complete their training online and/or in person so that they can plan programs, prepare environments, market opportunities, facilitate sessions, and curate connections with and for families with infants and toddlers so that participants will experience and explore Jewish traditions, values, stories and songs while supporting and celebrating children’s physical, cognitive, and spiritual development.

The program is designed grounded in a foundational belief in the following:

• Family involvement is a critical component to effective Jewish Early Childhood education.
• The first years of a person’s life are a critical opportunity for all types of development and it is incumbent upon the members and leadership of the Jewish community to equip ourselves to meet the needs of the youngest community members in developmentally appropriate ways.
• Music is an especially meaningful modality for education, engagement and community building in the Jewish community.
• Musical activities that encourage engagement through many senses and provide meaningful learning for learners at various stages of development will be the most successful.
• Musical engagement can look and feel different for various types of learners and diverse stages of social, emotional, cognitive, motor and spiritual engagement; respect for all types of engagement is crucial to success.

The Jewish Family Jams program model supports:

• Children’s development across all learning domains
• A meaningful foundation in Jewish communal life
• The development of relationships between all community members
• Professional development in Jewish text and tradition and Human development and pedagogy
• The creation of a shared repertoire of Jewish songs for children, teachers, and families in a learning community.

"Emily uses evidence-based research to create transformational musical and educational experiences for all participants! Some educators focus on just educating the children, but Emily understands that education isn't limited to childhood, and as both a colleague and a participant in various of her classes, I have seen this in action. She has a very special way of observing grownups with their littles, using language to describe their interactions in such a gentle and compassionate way. It is deeply endearing, and I can't get enough! "

Alison Westermann, Jewish Family Jams Leader and PJ Library Community Coordinator, El Paso, TX