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Prizmah Engage: Admissions Seminar Grant

Purpose of grant

Preschool is one of the most important feeders for kindergarten. To grow and sustain stable enrollment, Jewish day schools need preschools to regain their families. Admissions professionals are poised to deepen their relationships throughout the community in order to engage families with their schools.

This year-long cohort program provides funding and expertise to day school admissions professionals and their colleagues so that they can attract prospective students and build stronger connections across their Jewish community as they support families in making Jewish decisions that fit their needs.

Over the last six years, the Engage program (known as the Day School Engagement and Enrollment (DSEE) initiative in its first five years and re-branded Engage in 2021) has enabled more than 50 Jewish day schools to position themselves as hubs of Jewish engagement for families with young children. Engage schools have attracted more than 100 new students from families previously unknown to them and over 300 new students from families with a former connection.

Engage participants indicated that the program has deepened their knowledge of Jewish content and expanded their Jewish social connections. More significantly, the program has drawn them into the orbit of Jewish day schools and helped position the schools as central institutions for Jewish life.

Engage is made possible with the partnership and collaboration of CJP, Prizmah,  PJ Library, and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be admissions professionals from Jewish day schools within CJP’s catchment area and PJ Library partners
  • Spots are limited
  • There is no cost to participants
     

Process

  • In consultation with the PJ Library partner, day school admissions professional applies
     

Grant benefits and requirements

  • Admission professionals and PJ Library partners expand their relationship throughout the community with many organizations, such as other Jewish schools, Jewish family service organizations, Jewish community centers, synagogues, and camps
  • Over the course of the year, at 12 virtual meetings, the cohort strengthens their skills in areas critical for engagement: relationship building, stewardship, market segmentation, use of data, and more
  • Four of the 12 virtual meetings will be held with schools in CJP’s catchment area
  • Cohort members support each other through an active community of practice
  • Schools will submit data through Data and Analysis for School Leadership (DASL) and receive customized reports with a focus on recruitment and retention
  • Admissions professionals receive specialized training on how to mobilize ambassadors from their school in engagement activities
  • Admissions professional and PJ Library partner are required to plan a minimum of four engagement activities or initiatives over the course of the school year
  • Participating day schools receive grants of $2,500 to support engagement activities or initiatives
  • PJ Library partners receive $500 toward their involvement
  • Post-grant evaluation must be completed
     

Timing

  • Applications close: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
  • First session begins: July 2022
  • Final session begins: Spring 2023

Contact

For any questions, please contact Anna Leybzon.