Clergy, volunteer leadership and area business people have been hard at work studying the forces shaping our community’s future for THE ASSOCIATED’s Visioning Task Force. One of the critical areas they have identified is the need to engage families with young children in our vibrant community in ways that will keep them connected to Jewish Baltimore for years to come.

“This is a great population to look toward because oftentimes those folks are not connected to the Jewish community, so there’s an opportunity there,” says Beth El Congregation’s Rabbi Steve Schwartz, noting that becoming parents is a major lifecycle event, a time when young families are seeking help with a variety of services the Jewish community can offer—such as infant and toddler care, parenting classes and connections with other new parents.

The task force has already secured matching funds from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to begin the implementation of the PJ Library, a program that sends Jewish-content books and music every month to families with children ages five and under. They are also developing the Center for Family Engagement to expand outreach efforts to this population. Jewish professionals with expertise in parenting and human development, outreach, and informal Jewish education will staff this virtual center and develop initiatives—including programs in local stores, libraries and parks—designed to bring the Jewish community to these local families.

“It’s a big mountain, but if you get a good team together, and you have the right equipment, you can climb it,” adds Rabbi Schwartz. “If we do a good job in the community, then they’ll stay connected for their entire lives.”