EarlyJ Impact Award
ABOUT
The Award
The EarlyJ Impact Award recognizes the critical role that Jewish early childhood professionals play within our communities and celebrates the outstanding dedication and contributions of both educators and directors.
EarlyJ will select one educator and one director to be honored in the Bay Area for their leadership, innovation, and lasting impact in the field of Jewish Early Childhood Education.
The award empowers recipients with the resources to continue inspiring growth and innovation within their preschools, shaping lifelong Jewish journeys for the children and families they serve. EarlyJ remains deeply committed to honoring and uplifting Jewish early childhood educators and leaders, fostering a culture of excellence, creativity, and professional growth that strengthens and elevates Jewish life across the Bay Area.
Award Components
Each award consists of two components totaling $15,000:
- Personal Prize ($10,000)
This portion of the award recognizes the awardee’s dedication, creativity, passion, and significant contributions to Jewish early childhood education. It is intended to support the awardee’s personal and professional growth.
- Preschool Initiative Prize ($5,000)
This portion is allocated to the awardee’s preschool to support an initiative that the awardee will lead, designed to advance the preschool’s programs and contribute to increasing enrollment.
In addition to the monetary prize, the awardees will be invited to attend an award ceremony.
Both award components will be issued to each awardee’s preschool within 60 days of the award ceremony. The preschool will be responsible for disbursing the personal prize to the awardee and allocating the preschool initiative prize as agreed.
Eligibility
The award is open to Early childhood educators and directors who meet the following criteria:
- Must be currently teaching full-time in a non-profit Jewish preschool
- Preschools must be located in the Bay Area.
- Nominees must have at least three years of experience in Jewish early childhood education
- A preschool may nominate up to two candidates: one educator and one director
Eligible nominees must demonstrate exceptional impact in one or more of the following areas:
- Strengthening Jewish Identity: The nominee has advanced transformative educational initiatives in their preschool that foster Jewish identity, heritage, or connection to Israel.
- Cultivating Vibrant Community: The nominee has developed innovative programs or initiatives that strengthen connections within the preschool community.
- Raising Education Quality: The nominee has implemented novel pedagogic approaches in the preschool that improve the quality of early childhood education.
*Educators who are currently nominated for or have received the Helen Diller Award in the past two years will not be eligible to receive the EarlyJ Impact Award.
Nomination Process
Educators may be nominated by colleagues, directors, supervisors, religious leaders from the preschool’s host organization, a colleague or preschool parents.
The nomination application must include the following:
- Completed Nomination Application Form: Filled out by the nominator, outlining the nominee’s contributions, impact, and alignment with the award’s mission and eligibility criteria. The application deadline is January 9, 2026.
- Letter of Recommendation: Provided by someone other than the nominator who has experience with the nominee’s professional work (their preschool director, the nominee’s supervisor, or a preschool community member) highlighting the nominee’s influence, impact, and excellence in Jewish early childhood education. The letter of recommendation must be submitted with the Nomination Application Form.
- Completed Nominee Application Form: This secondary form will be sent to the nominee via email for completion once they have been nominated. Nominees will be asked to outline their contributions, impact, and alignment with the award’s mission and eligibility criteria. The application deadline is January 9, 2026.
Selection Criteria
A committee of leaders in Jewish education and the Jewish community will review the nominations based on the following criteria:
- Eligibility Alignment: The nominee’s achievements align with the award’s eligibility requirements.
- Jewish Community Impact: The nominee has demonstrated a meaningful and positive influence on children, families, fellow educators, and the Jewish preschool community.
- Educational Excellence: The nominee has successfully developed innovative curricula, programs, or teaching methods that enhance the quality of Jewish early childhood education.
- Leadership Capacity: The nominee has exemplified dedication, commitment, and leadership in advancing the future of Jewish early childhood education.
- Adaptability and Scaling: The nominee’s work and initiatives should demonstrate relevance and potential to inspire other Jewish early childhood educators.
Important Dates
Nomination Submission Deadline: January 9, 2026
Award Winner Announcement: April 30, 2026
Award Ceremony: May 12, 2026 at Chai Preschool, San Mateo
Each awardee and their preschool leadership representative must attend the ceremony to accept the award.