PJ Library launches in Chicago
by Karen Flayhart
JUF News
November 17, 2009
This month, 80,000 Chicago-area households received a free gift of a child’s Jewish book from the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, local donors, and Chicago-area Jewish educators. The gift marked the launch of the PJ Library program in Chicago, a groundbreaking program that sends age-appropriate children’s books and music on a monthly basis for three years to Jewish families with children ages 6 months to 6 years for (you guessed it) free. Families can enroll online at www.juf.org/pjlibrary or by calling (312) 357-4831.
“The PJ Library is an innovative program that engages young families, and helps them explore the richness of Jewish culture, while laying the foundation for a lifelong love of Judaism and learning,” said Steven B. Nasatir, president of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.
The PJ Library program is based on the idea that when parents and children read stories and listen to music together these are among the most powerful childhood learning experiences. It was conceived by Harold Grinspoon (modeled on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in Tennessee) as a way to reach out to young Jewish families, particularly those with little or no connection to Jewish community. Now entering its fourth year, the program is in 100-plus communities throughout North America, reaching over 50,000 children each month.
In each community where it is available, the PJ Library receives enthusiastic praise from parents and grandparents who cite the high quality of the books, and the thoughtful accompanying guides for parents to provide background on topics, among their favorite aspects of the program.
“The PJ Library's choices are always so wonderful, and I'm very grateful for the help in encouraging our kids to explore their Jewish identity,” said one PJ Library parent.
“Unfortunately, in today's fast paced world, with both of us working full-time, we often forget or just don't allot the time for sharing in Jewish events with the girls...I am loving the idea of the reading guides and know that they give me the extra push I need to make this part of our lives as important as it should be,” said another PJ Library parent.
Families in which one parent is Jewish have also praised the program, grateful for the opportunity it affords to introduce Judaism into the home.
“The books, and our daughter's enthusiasm about them, have done a great deal to help my non-Jewish husband recognize how much Jewish culture encompasses,” said one PJ Library parent. “It's not only about religion, and I was not able to convey that to him previously. The books really helped, both because they were neutral (coming from outside of the family), and because they embody values—art, compassion, listening, caring, perseverance—that all members of the family embrace.”
And then, there is the excitement felt by children each month when an envelope arrives in the mail addressed to them, and the joy the parents feel when they watch their children’s faces light up when they learn something new.
“The program isn’t just free—that it makes learning about Judaism fun, is priceless,” commented Deborah Cooper, PJ Library program director.
Enrollment in Chicago’s PJ Library opened this month and it is expected that its 5,000 slots will fill up quickly (slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.). Each participating family will receive one book or music CD per month for three years. Families with multiple children in these ages will be given the opportunity to select the age category they want to receive when they register for the program.
The biggest challenge will be reaching young families who are not connected to the Jewish community to tell them about the PJ Library.
“A key target demographic audience for PJ Library are families that have little connection to the Jewish community. We are relying on friends, congregants, grandparents, rabbis, neighbors, teachers—to get the word out to as many young Jewish families as possible,” said Deborah Cooper. “In other communities, about one-fourth of enrollments have come in by a grandparent or friend. We hope that people will forward information to their families and friends.”
The PJ Library program is the newest addition to JUF’s Joyfully Jewish young families outreach program, which currently includes JUF’s Right Start, Book Buddies and Shalom Baby. For more information about JUF’s Joyfully Jewish family programs, or to enroll in the PJ Library program, visit www.juf.org.