New Harold Grinspoon Foundation program provides Jewish books, CDs for young children
by Tracy Hudak
Jewish Ledger
January 29, 2006
"Parents and children have warm memories of that special time right before bedtime, where snuggled together, they end the day with a book," said local Jewish philanthropist Harold Grinspoon.
"Reading stories and listening to music are among the most powerful and nurturing early childhood learning experiences," added the founder and president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
To transform these moments into Jewish experiences, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation launched a new initiative in December called The PJ Library, which brings Jewish children's books and CDs into the homes of Jewish children ages 5 and younger in Western Massachusetts free of charge. The goal of the PJ Library - the PJ stands for pajama - is to increase the number of families with young children who value their Jewish identity.
According to Dr. Mark Rosen, a senior research associate at the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University in Waltham who serves as an advisor to The PJ Library, "There are approximately 60,000 Jewish births in the United States annually, but relatively few are being welcomed by the Jewish community... If the Jewish community reaches out to young Jewish couples when they have a child there is potentially a three- to five-year window for influencing their future educational choices and the Jewish identity of their children."
"The PJ Library aims to respond directly to this opportunity by engaging these families early in the building of their Jewish homes," Rosen said.
"Living in an area where the Jewish population is spread out adds to the already challenging task of teaching Jewish children about their cultural roots," explained Gali Cooks, director of the program. "The PJ Library hopes to provide families in these areas with the necessary tools to impart Jewish values to their children."
The PJ Library is modeled after Imagination Library, a program started by country singer Dolly Parton in 1996 for preschoolers in Sevier
County in Tennessee, as a gift of encouragement for the children of her Smoky Mountain homeland. The Imagination Library has expanded to 571 communities in 41 states by partnering with local nonprofits and funders like Grinspoon, who brought the Imagination Library to Greater Springfield.
Cooks explained that when Grinspoon learned about the Imagination Library, "he just fell in love with the idea of giving away free children's books on a consistent basis to families with young kids."
So far, more than 400 children have signed up for The PJ Library, Cooks said.
Each participating child in the community will receive a Jewish children's book or CD every month. These monthly deliveries will be accompanied by resources to help families use the selection.
The books and CDs have been chosen by a committee of experts in the fields of early childhood and Jewish education as well as Jewish libraries and children books. The book list includes a wide array of themes related to Jewish holidays, folktales and family life.
All children who join the program will receive Before You Were Born by Howard Schwartz as their first book along with a reading guide with Jewish concepts, questions, and complimentary activities. The book and CD list also includes the parenting book The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogul, and the CD OyBaby!
Cooks said the list will be updated regularly.
"We are trying to create a canon of Jewish children's literature, but we do need to refresh the list," she explained
She added, "We hope to actually get more parents with young children involved in the selection process."
While this program is free for Jewish children living in Western Massachusetts, an area resident can make this program available to a child in his/her life by signing up to pay $84 for a one-year or $42 for a six-month subscription.