For Immediate Release

St. Louis is First in the U.S. to Offer
Jewish Parents as Teachers Program

Beautiful babies and adorable toddlers ruled as nearly 50 families turned out at Congregation Temple Israel for the kick-off of Jewish Parents as Teachers (J-PAT). This new program is the first of its kind both in St. Louis and across the country.  J-PAT Executive Director Leslie Wolf will be presenting the program at the Union for Reform Judaism’s North American Biennial conference in December.

At the kick-off event, families had the opportunity to meet Wolf, J-PAT Director Eve Lerner Rudolph, parent educators, and staff.  In addition, representatives from community organizations, including the Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE), the Jewish Community Center (JCC), PJ Library, the Concierge for Young Families, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and area congregations were on hand to greet families and provide information on community resources.

“We now have more than 20 families signed up for our program,” said Wolf.  “We are thrilled to have such tremendous support from across the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox communities.”

J-PAT is a certified provider of the Parents as Teachers program, which features three home visits annually by a certified parent educator, developmental screenings, and information and resources on child development. What differentiates J-PAT is that these services will be provided within a Jewish context. The Jewish content for the program has been developed by CAJE.

Start-up funding for J-PAT has been provided through an incubator grant from the Union for Reform Judaism and a family education grant from the Gladys K. Crown Foundation honoring the memory of Shirlee Green and the Rich Fund of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.

Contact:  Carol Wolf Solomon
314-432-8050; csolomon@ti-stl.org