connection

Building Connections with Your Early Childhood Program and Temple Family During COVID

Trying to engage our families and congregants during Covid and connect them to your Temple’s family may seem like a struggle. Now more than ever these connections are vital. With careful planning and a team approach, this goal can be easily attainable. 

For many parents, looking for an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program may be one of the most important decisions they make. Jewish ECE programs are not just entry points into Jewish learning but also a re-entry point back into a synagogue for many families.

With Covid, we have been faced with many new challenges.

• How do we sell our programs to new families who have never seen the inside of our walls?
• How do we engage our existing families in our EC programs?
• How do we share these Jewish experiences with our families?
• How do we connect our clergy and leadership to our families?

Whether in person or in many cases now “virtually”, quality programming, meaningful family experiences, and activities for all ages are key to the Temple’s role in a family’s Jewish journey. 

In addition to committees involving ECE staff, clergy, parents and temple leadership, it is important to have a Covid task force committee consisting of medical personnel to safely implement any new programming to attract new young families through communication, marketing, and outreach. 

Through these committees, our leadership has implemented ways to further connect ECE families with our synagogue life.  Here are just a few!

• Tour beyond your program.  Like many programs, our doors are closed to visitors. Tours can be scheduled virtually or even pre-recorded.  Regardless of how they are done, make sure to show them your Sanctuary and introduce your clergy.  (Parents love seeing the Rabbi’s study!)   Show them your religious school, the public spaces in your Synagogue, and your youth lounge if you have one.  Introduce them to your Religious school Director and/or Youth Director.
• Be inviting!  This year for Rosh Hashanah, our Membership committee was present at our carpool giving out gift baskets along with Siddurs for those watching services virtually.
• Gift of a Lifetime.  Any new ECE family receives a free year of temple membership. 
• Be an Ambassador! An ambassador should not JUST make an initial welcoming phone call. Rather, throughout the YEAR, ambassadors can call and invite new families to family programs whether in person or virtual. Remember, this first year makes a huge difference in whether or not a family will stay connected! 
• Virtual PTO Meetings. Keep your parents connected! Our first PTO meeting consisted of a virtual tour of the school in session. With an Ipad, one can visit every classroom making sure to point out each child of those in the meeting.
• Clergy and Board presence. Any opportunity that arises, making sure Clergy is present is key… have parents make a connection!
  • Have Clergy join a PTO meeting. This goes a long way toward building relationships. 
  • Have clergy present at the carpool line at least once a week. A quick hello is always appreciated.
  • Children love spending time with clergy on a regular basis in the classrooms. Parents love seeing the child-clergy connection – include photos from their time together in ECE and temple newsletters!
• Virtual Programming
  • Include your families in any classroom celebrations. Some of our families send birthday party invitations to extended family along with parents in the classroom.  Zoom has become our parent’s best friend.
  • Shabbat Mystery Reader with Zayde and Bubbee. Each Friday a grandparent signs up to be a mystery reader in their grandchild’s classroom. We have had grandparents from all over the world join us on Zoom.

Stacey Katz
Director
Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El
Plantation,  Florida

October 2021