Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago

CFJE’s quality staff serves the metropolitan Chicago community with an umbrella of educational programs from early childhood through adult:

Early Childhood Education
CFJE provides forums for professional educators to advance their knowledge and gives them the tools to offer high quality Jewish education in a community that has one of the best Early Childhood Education programs in the country. CFJE-affiliated early childhood programs are proud to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Early Childhood Kehillah of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Congregational Schools and Day Schools
CFJE provides a wealth of resources to both educators and volunteer leadership. Congregational school principals and heads of day schools meet on a regular basis at CFJE to learn about the latest techniques and advancements in Jewish education, and CFJE’s annual School Opening for all Jewish educators is recognized for its excellent programs and speakers. We also offer educator placement services.

Adolescent & Teen Programs
CFJE offers excellent programs for adolescents including Rosh Chodesh – It’s a Girl Thing for 6th-8th graders, Ta’am Yisrael: The 8th Grade Israel Experience, and Panim el Panim for high school juniors and seniors. CFJE also serves as a key resource for the public high schools’ Hebrew language courses.

Informal Education
CFJE brings informal educators together for periodic professional development opportunities and retreats. We provide consultation to both new and experienced informal educators to help in a variety of areas ranging from challenges in the field to growth opportunities.

Adult Education
CFJE invests significant resources to provide the community with quality adult Jewish learning programs. These efforts include the Dawn Schuman Institute, the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, Ulpan and the Adult Network Seminar for Adult Education Chairs to learn best practices.

Israel Education
The CFJE offers our Master Israel Educator to help provide programming regarding all aspects of Israel. New learning initiatives for Israel’s 60th anniversary are available.