Beginning with the first blessing said over hallah and grape juice, a child's experience in Jewish preschool can significantly impact the Jewish identity of his or her entire family. The quality of that formative education depends on competent, committed preschool teachers. But access to early childhood Jewish education training programs outside major Jewish population centers has been limited. That is, until now.

Funded by a Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) seed grant of nearly $100,000, Hebrew College Online (HCO) and the Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education's Early Childhood Institute have launched the Online Early Childhood Institute, a distance-learning-based certificate program for early childhood Jewish educators in western Massachusetts.

Subsidizing student enrollment fees and all learning materials for the 2004–2005 academic year, the grant enables 16 preschool teachers—from the Springfield Jewish Community Center, Children's Torah Center, Yeshiva Academy and Heritage Academy—to tap into Hebrew College's expertise in early childhood education. The program is coordinated by HGF's Resource Center for Jewish Education. BayPath College is actively involved as well, hosting the videoconferences and some online learning components of the program in its Media Lab.

"I hope this pilot program will serve as a model for similar programs across the country," says Ina Regosin, Early Childhood Institute (ECI) founding director and dean of students, "where we will recruit communities and identify faculty who know how to integrate best practices in early childhood education with Judaic content."

To earn a certificate, participating teachers must complete four courses within two years. The grant will fund the first two Online ECI courses, Teaching Jewish Values to Young Children (now underway) and Creating a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum for Early Childhood Jewish Education (slated for the spring).

Online ECI classes combine in-person meetings, videoconferencing sessions and online course work and discussion boards. In the spring, HCO aims to add Internet-based voice conferencing and electronic whiteboard software to its use of videoconferencing so that enhanced remote communication can be done from the convenience of the student's own desktop system.

"This is the first example of what we're calling Hebrew College's virtual campus," notes Alan Zaitchik, HCO director. "If this model is successful, we would like to apply it to other Hebrew College programs."

The Online ECI may also serve as a new paradigm for the professional development of Jewish educators. "The most effective professional development activities are ongoing, allowing time and opportunity for teachers to practice what they've learned," says Susie Rodenstein, lecturer in early childhood education and instructor for the first Online ECI course. "The fact that our teachers will also have a cadre of fellow learners in their geographical area extends the learning beyond this course."

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