Engage: Growing School and Community Partnerships

Applications for Engage 2024-2025 are now closed. Applications for 2025-26 will open during spring of 2025.

What is Engage?

Engage is Prizmah’s signature year-long partnership program between Jewish day schools and PJ Library. This year-long program offers schools and their local PJ Library Partner cohort-based learning opportunities and grants to support community engagements. These partnership programs are designed to attract families to schools, with the ultimate goal of increasing day school enrollment.

This program is made possible through generous funding from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library Alliance, and Lisa and Arieh Coll.

Why Participate in Engage?

Together, Jewish day schools and PJ Library Partners are able to increase potential for expanded recruitment, stronger retention, and ultimately, higher enrollment by positioning the schools as a central hub for Jewish communal life.

Over the last seven years, Engage has empowered over 125 Jewish day schools to position themselves as centers of Jewish engagement for families with young children. The Engage program offers families a low-barrier opportunity to experience the benefits of a Jewish day school education, providing them with a pathway to make Jewish day school a significant part of their lives.

What can the Engage program offer my school and community?

Expand your prospect pipeline

Invite new families to experience your Jewish community through the lens of their local Jewish day school.

Showcase your school’s unique offerings

Through intentional program offerings, highlight what makes your Jewish day school unique and attractive to families.

Build and strengthen your community partnerships

Enhance collaboration with PJ Library and other local organizations to deliver intentional, high quality, low barrier programming for young Jewish families.

Increase retention

Strengthen the relationship of Jewish day school families to each other, the Jewish day school, and the local Jewish community.

How do I know if Engage is right for my school and community?

The following criteria ensure that participating schools are fully prepared to benefit from and contribute successfully in the Engage program.

• The head of school, admission professional, and PJ Library Partner should have at least 12 months of experience in their role at their school or organization.
• Your Jewish day school has a dedicated admission professional who can take the lead to work with their local PJ Library Partner and meet programming requirements.
• Your school and PJ Library Partner are committed to working in partnership together as participants in Engage.
• Your school and PJ Library Partner is committed to building partnerships toward a goal of increasing recruitment and enrollment through strategic stewardship and programming.

How does my school apply for the Engage program for 2024-2025?

Engage is a collaborative partnership program between the school and PJ Library Partner. Admission professionals and their local PJ Library Partners should apply together through one application. The application process includes an inquiry form, an online application, submission of enrollment data as well as a brief virtual interview.

Is it possible for my school to apply for a second year of the Engage program for 2024-2025?

Schools that have previously participated in Engage are eligible to re-apply for a second year in the program. However, both the school and PJ Library must complete the application process and be accepted in order to participate in a second year.

How is the second year of Engage different?

• Engage | Year 1 is dedicated to schools that have not yet participated in Engage.
• Engage Plus | Year 2 is dedicated to schools which have previously participated in the Engage program. These participants will build on the success of year one and continue enhancing engagements, refining strategic family stewardship and strengthening communal partnerships.

What are the fees to participate?

There is no fee to participate in the Engage program.

Upon completing the reporting requirements, schools receive a grant generously funded by The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Lisa and Arieh Coll, and Prizmah toward offering programs/engagements.

Engage | Year 1

• Participating Jewish day schools receive a grant of $2,500 to support engagements or initiatives.
• PJ Library Partners receive $500 toward their participation.

Engage Plus | Year 2

• Participating Jewish day schools receive a grant of $1,500 to support engagements or initiatives.
• PJ Library Partners receive $250 toward their participation.

What if more than one school in my community is interested in the Engage program?

If more than one school from the same community is interested in participating in Engage, please contact Beth Rivkind, Director of Enrollment Growth for more information.

What are the Engage program participation requirements?

Accepted Engage program schools and PJ Library Partners will commit to the following:

• Plan a minimum of four new or expanded engagements throughout the school year.
• Collaborate to develop, plan, and implement engagements.
• School admission professionals attend virtual one-hour community of practice sessions which offer:
  • Skill strengthening in capacities critical for engagement including, relationship-building, stewardship, market segmentation, communication/marketing, program planning, use of data, and more.
  • A supportive and informative network of professionals in which participants lean into each other to strengthen their practice.
  • Specialized training on how to mobilize ambassadors from their school to support engagements.
• Collect engagement and enrollment data throughout the year and complete reporting requirements
• Deploy participant surveys provided by PJ Library.
• Promote PJ Library subscriptions to participants throughout the program.

Engage Program Timeline

A complete timeline with session content and dates will be released at the start of the program.

Questions?

Contact Beth Rivkind, Director of Enrollment Growth, at [email protected].

Engage is generously sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library Alliance Funders, and Lisa and Arieh Coll.