For Parents of Young Children

Over the last eighteen years the Florence Melton Adult Mini- School has developed an expertise in helping local communities deliver high quality adult Jewish education. This includes experience in writing curriculum, identifying the proper personnel, working intensively on their professional development, marketing and recruitment strategies and the cultivation of invested lay advisories. Research, both quantitative and anecdotal, confirms that the experience of studying in a Melton school increases the importance of Jewish education in the eyes of the students, raises their sense of competence as Jewish learners, stimulates Jewish behavior change and encourages students to become articulate resources for their families and communities. Melton prides itself on its growth and longevity in sixty communities including several in Australia and the UK.

With funding from the AVI CHAI Foundation, The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School has adapted its acclaimed curriculum for adults to address parents of young children. The new Florence Melton Parent Education Program has been piloted in three communities in North America. Several critical findings have emerged:

1. Contrary to notions about how hard it is to engage busy people, parents want this type of learning, both as individuals and as couples and will commit the time.

2. Parents of young children are busily engaged in finding resources and information to shape the identity of their families, and through Melton, they feel more competent as Jewish parents.

3. Parents want to share the joy of learning with their children and be able to keep up with them.�

4 Excellent teachers of adults can motivate their students to become lifelong learners and supporters of Jewish education for others.

5. Parents want the familiarity and intimacy of a small learning community for themselves, just as they want it for their children. Within the Melton parent class, the joys and challenges of being a parent co-mingle with decisions about how to create a meaningful Jewish family life as part of the larger Jewish community.

What Is PEP?

The Florence Melton Parent Education Program is a two-year, 30 week per year opportunity for adult Jewish study. Like the core curriculum of the Mini-School, PEP is interactive, pluralistic, and text-based. Addressed to the needs of parents of young children, the curriculum creates a link between sophisticated adult learning and Jewish living. Havura sessions, featuring discussions of Jewish texts and interaction with teachers and peers, provide the insights, the skills, and the feelings of competency that allow parents to share Judaism and Jewish learning with their children. Optional supplementary activities for families designed around learning and celebration build relationships among participants and support parents in their role as teachers of their children.

What will parents study?

The educational experience will be based on the four courses of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School:

Year I

The Rhythms of Jewish Living examines the Jewish calendar and life-cycle. Students explore the central ideas, beliefs and practices that define Jewish life and consider together how to carry that Jewish conversation into their home.

The Purposes of Jewish Living explores the meaning and purpose of life from a Jewish perspective. Essential Jewish concepts as they unfold in Biblical, Talmudic and other sacred texts are studied with an eye on what, how and when to teach these to young children.

Year II

The Ethics of Jewish Living addresses the relationship between Jewish life and ethical behavior. How does Jewish tradition shape our relationships with other human beings, and how can we communicate these moral values to our children?

The Dramas of Jewish Living Through the Ages presents the significant moments, experiences, and issues that have shaped Jewish history, memory, and identity. The lives of Jewish families throughout our history are also explored.