ElevatEd takes root in Pittsburgh: Investing in the next generation of Jewish educators
ElevatEd aims to recruit, train, mentor and support more than 300 new educators in 12 American communities in its first three years, officials said.
All 10 of the Pittsburgh area’s early childhood Jewish education centers have joined forces with a national program to improve recruitment, retention and training of Jewish educators.
They call the program ElevatEd.
Started in 2023, ElevatEd first focused on Jewish schools in Boston, Denver-Boulder, Houston, Long Island and East Bay, California. Its second cohort includes seven additional communities, including Pittsburgh.
ElevatEd aims to recruit, train, mentor and support more than 300 new educators in 12 American communities in its first three years, officials said.
The $12 million project is a collaboration among Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, Jewish Federations of North America and the Union for Reform Judaism.
“We’re excited to partner with seven new cities for ElevatEd’s second cohort, refining our strategies and curriculum based on feedback from the first cohort,” said Orna Siegel, ElevatEd executive director. “This expansion allows us to support the entire early childhood Jewish education field more effectively.”
Gina Crough started coordinating the project on Sept. 5. The former early childhood educator — she taught for several years, including at a Goddard School in Columbus, Ohio — said ElevatEd’s mission is simple.
“It’s about empowering early childhood educators, who shape the foundation for lifelong learning and growth,” she told the Chronicle.
The two-year initiative, which expands on the locally grown Pittsburgh Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative, brings together those funding Jewish education efforts, as well as researchers, community leaders and — possibly most importantly — those on the ground and in the classroom.
“Ensuring that our community has qualified educators is essential for providing high-quality early childhood Jewish education. Early childhood Jewish educators are integral to a flourishing Jewish life — they nurture children, families, and their Jewish community,” said Carolyn Linder, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s associate director of Jewish life and learning. “Anything that we can do to help professionalize and shine a light on a vastly underappreciated profession, I feel, is imperative.”
Linder and Crough said ElevatEd will focus locally on best practices, as well as training those already working in Jewish early childhood education.
“We have a very collaborative group of early childhood education directors — and that’s something we should celebrate and be proud of,” Linder said.
More than 40 participants already are enrolled in the program in the Pittsburgh area, Crough said.
As the 2024-25 academic year enters its second month, ElevatEd is offering an 18-month mentorship program for young teachers and their mid-career counterparts, officials said.
The 10 centers also will receive funds to help credential their staff, officials said. They also will offer staff a yearlong professional development program.
ElevatEd is fleshed out with an applicant tracking system, and partnerships with recruitment companies to attract teachers nationwide to Pennsylvania.
“Our new curriculum … offers personalized learning tracks tailored to educators’ backgrounds and the developmental stages of their students, focusing on infants and toddlers,” said Sasha Kopp, senior director of ElevatEd education and engagement.
Crough said the goal is even more basic than that: building a stronger base for children at the time when their brains are at a heightened point of development.
“I love connecting with these educators because, as a former educator myself, I understand the depth of passion and dedication they bring to their work,” Crough said.
ElevatEd is funded by The Jim Joseph Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies and the Samuels Family Foundation, among others both locally and nationally. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is serving as the local implementation partner and is funding the program in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Participants include Adat Shalom Preschool, Beth Shalom Early Learning Center, Community Day School Early Childhood Program, Jewish Community Center Early Childhood Development Center–South Hills, Jewish Community Center Early Childhood Development Center–Squirrel Hill, Rodef Shalom Family Center and Preschool, Temple Emanuel Early Childhood Development Center, Temple Ohav Shalom Center for Early Learning, The Early Learning Center at Yeshiva and The Isadore Joshowitz Early Childhood Center at Hillel Academy. PJC
Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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