The Efshar Project

How do we prepare young children for a future we can’t yet imagine? 🌱

By nurturing what has always mattered: curiosity, creativity, adaptability, and a love of learning.

This thoughtful K-12 Dive piece explores how early learning environments can evolve to meet the needs of a changing world—while keeping children and how they learn best at the center.

📖 Worth a read: https://www.k12dive.com/spons/the-new-early-learner-designing-for-a-future-we-cant-yet-imagine/829520/

The new early learner: Designing for a future we can’t yet imagine How early childhood environments build adaptability, curiosity, and resilience for future success.

WATCH: Efshar’s Executive Director Kelli Trotsky Pfaff spoke about Rosh Hashanah, Jewish education, and finding joy and meaning during difficult times on 9NEWS (KUSA) last week.

What is the meaning of Rosh Hashanah? Over the next few weeks, Jewish people around the world will gather...

Wishing all those who celebrate a Shana Tovah u'metukah (a good and sweet new year)!

Check out this Efshar resource guide to support at-home holiday learning, engagement, and activities: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13JlMHHh6qzgLwxXk8DQNJy14rxc1YPa_/view?usp=sharing

Efshar is grateful to receive a Staenberg Anything Grant, funded by the Staenberg Family Foundation and administered by JEWISHcolorado, to support an exciting sensory learning tool available to all Efshar network schools.

Learn more about this innovative initiative here:

Feeling the Music: Bringing Vibroacoustic Learning to Efshar Schools | The Efshar Project This month, I had the chance to introduce something new to several of our Efshar partner schools: a vibroacoustic chair. At first glance, it looks like a comfortable chair. But once you sit down, something remarkable happens. Sound becomes something you don’t just hear-you can feel it.

A big conversation about the future of child care is happening right here in Denver—and we’re proud to see the needs of young children, families, and early childhood educators at the center of it.

In a recent CNN interview, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston discussed the city’s goal of building a sustainable, universal child care system—from birth through age five. He highlighted challenges we know well: too few available slots, the high cost of care, workforce shortages, and the need for care that actually works for families’ schedules.

At Efshar, we believe access and quality go hand in hand. A strong early childhood system must support families and the educators and providers who make that care possible.

We’re excited to see Denver thinking boldly about what a more accessible, affordable, and sustainable early childhood system can look like—and we’re proud to be part of the broader conversation about strengthening early childhood education in Colorado.

🎥 Watch the full CNN interview: https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/10/us/video/cnn-sitroom-brown-mike-johnston-denver-mayor-universal-childcare-sustainable-model

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston explains how he’s trying to build a ‘sustainable model’ for universal childcare | CNN Denver Mayor Mike Johnston joins CNN’s Pamela Brown to discuss his iniative for universal childcare in the city, which he expects to come in at a lower pricepoint than what’s projected for New York City.

School’s back in session and we couldn’t be more excited!

We love this beautiful bulletin board created by an incredible teacher at one of our partner schools Hebrew Educational Alliance in collaboration with the preschool staff.

Modeling their exercise of positivity, what will YOU do as you start off this academic year?

⬇️ Share your commitment and intention in the comment section!

Child care is more than a family issue—it’s a community issue.

A new NPR report found that 3 in 4 voters say the cost of child care is a major problem. At The Efshar Project, we’re committed to strengthening Colorado’s Jewish early childhood education community because high-quality, accessible child care helps children, families, educators, and our entire community thrive.

Read the article and join the conversation.

3 in 4 U.S. voters say the cost of childcare is a major problem, survey finds For parents who pay for childcare, more than a third say it's one of their top two expenses, according to a poll commissioned by the First Five Years Fund, which advocates for expanding early learning and care.

Rabbi Steven Foster Early Learning Center at Temple Emanuel educator Madison Jester reflects on lessons learned from an early childhood conference, and how she integrated these practices into her classroom in a meaningful, educational way.

How Photo Reflection Changed Our Lunch to Nap Routine | The Efshar Project I’ve been thinking lately about how easily the operational logistics of running a school can quickly take over and pull our attention from the actual people.

🚨 Child care is more than a family issue—it's a community issue.

New data from the First Five Years Fund highlights the challenges facing Colorado families:

👶 Child care costs nearly $21,000 per child each year.
👩‍👧 65% of children under 5 have all available parents in the workforce.
📉 The shortage of affordable, accessible child care costs Colorado's economy an estimated $3.3 billion annually.

At Efshar, we're working to change that.

By supporting educators, strengthening school leaders, expanding access to high-quality Jewish early childhood education, and partnering with communities across Colorado, we're helping create a stronger future for children, families, and our state.

When we invest in early childhood, everyone benefits. 💙

✨ What inspires an early childhood educator to keep showing up every day?

For Whittney Bartkey, an early childhood educator at the Jay and Rose Phillips Early Childhood Center at the Boulder JCC and Efshar Teacher Fellow, the answer is tri-fold: the children, fellow educators, and her personal drive and dedication.

In this inspiring video, Whittney shares how seeing the world through the curiosity of children and the passion, creativity, and commitment of her fellow teachers motivate her to do the meaningful—and often challenging—work of nurturing young children each day. Their collaboration, encouragement, and shared dedication remind us that no educator works alone.

At The Efshar Project, we believe that when educators are connected, supported, and inspired by one another, they are empowered to create extraordinary learning experiences for children and families.

Thank you, Whittney, for reminding us that behind every thriving classroom is a community of educators lifting one another up. 💙

Whittney's Video: Dear Whittney 6.2026 Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.