By Karen Isenberg Jones
The exponential growth of metro Atlanta’s population has brought waves of new families planting roots in Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods. This has made Atlanta one of the most wonderfully diverse cities of America, not just ethnically, but religiously as well.
Jewish Kids Groups (JKG), Atlanta’s only private Jewish Hebrew and Sunday school, caters to those diverse families seeking a unique Jewish education for their children. Many JKG families are interfaith and most of them are not affiliated with a synagogue. JKG employs an innovative approach to Jewish learning making Hebrew school fun and engaging, while maintaining exceptional content.
Ana Robbins, JKG Founder and Executive Director, remembers the underwhelming methods used in Hebrew school during her youth and therefore recognized the importance of positive Jewish learning and the need for a fresh approach within the Atlanta community. Robbins founded JKG in 2012 with only six students. Within just four years, JKG enrollment has skyrocketed to 200 students.
“We are thrilled by the growth we have seen over the past four years,” said Robbins. “Thanks to our innovative and experiential programming and our enthusiastic educators, our enrollment has grown significantly. We are honored to be the choice for those families desiring to give their children a Jewish education.”
JKG is profoundly changing the landscape of religious learning in Atlanta. In the past, families wanting to give their children a Jewish education had no choice but to join a synagogue. JKG is breaking the education barrier by providing learning opportunities for those families not otherwise engaged in the Atlanta Jewish community.
“As an interfaith family we were… unaffiliated with any synagogue, and without a synagogue affiliation, at a loss as to how I was going to ensure a Jewish education for our daughter,” said JKG parent Rebecca McGinniss. “I found JKG at the Virginia-Highlands Summerfest three years ago (and) I loved the fact that JKG used an interactive, fun and camp-like approach to learning about Judaism. I was ecstatic the curriculum included learning Hebrew. And I was comforted by the fact that my family would not be the only interfaith family in the group.”
Jewish Kids Groups’ core programs include JKG Sunday, for students in preschool through seventh grade, the Afterschool Community, for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade, as well JKG Jr. and School’s Out Camp Days. All programs utilize creative activities and dynamic teaching in order to inspire students, teach Hebrew and Jewish history, and celebrate Jewish holidays while building and nurturing friendships.
This fall, JKG is piloting a new sixth and seventh grade B’Nai Mitzvah program. This unique and highly personalized program features a curriculum that’s rich in hands-on learning, community service opportunities, and values-based content culminating in a group B’Nai Mitzvah celebration.
JKG has three locations in Greater Atlanta: JKG Sunday Intown in Old 4th Ward at 386 Pine Street, JKG Sunday Brookhaven at Congregation Or VeShalom at 1681 North Druid Hills Road, and JKG Afterschool Community in Morningside at 1324 North Highland Avenue. All three locations feature JKG’s brand of experiential and creative learning.
With JKG’s continued success and growth in Atlanta, it anticipates record-breaking enrollment in 2016-17 and is exploring new program locations for the 2017-18 school year. This growth is due in large, to the support and enthusiasm from the students’ parents.
For more information on Jewish Kids Groups, contact them Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 6:00pm (until 5:00pm on Fridays) at (404) 913-9554. For information regarding JKG Sunday or JKG Afterschool Community, email info@jewishkidsgroups.com.
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