About JUF Right Start
A gift to your family from Chicago’s Jewish community.
Jewish Early Childhood Education… the Gateway to Jewish Life
We believe that Jewish early childhood education is so important that we created JUF Right Start to make Jewish preschool and daycare more accessible and affordable for Jewish parents.
The program’s centerpiece is a gift voucher - the first of its kind nationally - that will substantially offset the cost of Jewish early childhood education. The voucher can be applied to the tuition of the first child in your immediate family to attend a participating Jewish preschool or day care. It is not based on need (please see eligibility information). Tuition reimbursement is based on the number of days per week a child is enrolled.
Voucher amounts are:
- $250 for a child who attends 2 days per week
- $500 for a child who attends 3 days per week
- $750 for a child who attends 4 days per week
- $1,000 for a child who attends 5 days per week
Jewish Life Begins at Birth
Inspiring a lifelong love of Judaism in a child takes a loving Jewish home, Jewish schooling and Jewish experiences that transmit the richness, the joy and the beauty of our 3,000-year-old traditions. Jewish early childhood programs especially have a major impact on a child’s emerging Jewish identity and serve as an important gateway to other facets of Jewish life.
The warmth and creativity of these programs engage our youngest children as they teach them Jewish values, concepts and traditions. Children in Jewish preschools and daycare centers learn that there is a special meaning to Jewish community and continuity.
Through JUF Right Start, we hope to help Jewish families participate in the rich and rewarding experience of Jewish early childhood education, as well as to help connect them to Jewish life and community. Jewish life begins at birth, not when children enter their adolescent years.
JUF Right Start also aims to build a sense of community among families with young children. Throughout the year, JUF Right Start will sponsor family-oriented programming, featuring Jewish music, crafts and storytelling, as well as bring in speakers to talk about parenting issues. Programs are open to the entire community.
Time to Register at JUF Right Start Preschools
Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago
Visit www.att.org for more information about Torah education for children.
Community Foundation for Jewish Education
Visit www.cfje.org to see a list of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education's affiliated early childhood programs.
Jewish Community Center
Visit www.gojcc.org to learn about the childhood education programs offered by the JCC.
Board of Jewish Education
For more information, contact Janet Sear at (847) 634-0363 or view the list of programs at www.bjechicago.org.
JUF Right Start has been made possible by grants from the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Steven B. Nasatir New Directions Fund.



