GMW Right Start provides a $1,000 gift voucher toward the cost of tuition for families enrolling their children in a Jewish 2-year-old school program for the first time.
A child’s early years are the most formative. What a child experiences before age 5 becomes the foundation for thought patterns, value structures, and ways of viewing the world into adulthood. Jewish early childhood centers partner with families to ensure each child’s earliest years are filled with engaging play, exciting discoveries, nurturing teachers, laughter and friendship. Through the richness of traditions, rituals, and stories, Jewish early childhood centers help families raise children who have a sense of wonderment and responsibility for the world around them.
Jewish early childhood centers aren’t just about the children. Through each child’s experience, the whole family is engaged. They are immersed in the richness and diversity of Jewish life. They are welcomed and supported, and the friendships created can grow for years to come! Learn more and apply below.
Is My Child Eligible?
To be eligible for the GMW Right Start Voucher, a child must be:
- The first child in the family to attend a Jewish early childhood program in Greater MetroWest NJ.
- Enrolling in a Jewish early childhood program in GMW for the first time. Children previously enrolled in an infant/toddler program are eligible.
- A member of a family where at least one parent or guardian identifies as Jewish, regardless of background, knowledge, family make-up, or observance and whether affiliated, unaffiliated, interfaith, or non-traditional.
- Enrolling in a GMW Right Start School for the 2023-24 school year beginning September 2023.
- A resident in Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest’s catchment area (Essex, Morris, Sussex, Union, and parts of Somerset counties).
- Enrolling in 2’s program* where the child attends independently and meets five days per week. The program may be half-day or full-day.*If enrolling in a school that begins older than the 2’s, GMW Right Start tuition vouchers are available for the school’s point of entry.
Participating Schools
| Chabad Jewish Center of Basking Ridge, Zimmer Preschool, Basking Ridge |
| Cheder Yaldei Menachem, Hillside |
| Congregation AABJ&D, Lauren Elise Beir Nursery School, West Orange |
| Congregation Agudath Israel Early Childhood Center, West Caldwell |
| Congregation Beth El, Thelma K. Reisman Preschool, South Orange |
| Congregation B’nai Israel Preschool, Milburn |
| Temple B’nai Jeshurun, Rabbi Barry H. Greene Early Childhood Center, Short Hills |
| Golda Och Academy, West Orange |
| Gottesman RTW Academy, Randolph |
| JCC of Central NJ, Brody Family Early Learning Center, Scotch Plains |
| JCC Metrowest, Sharon & Stephen Seiden Early Childhood Center, West Orange |
| Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth |
| Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, Livingston |
| Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael, Shalom Yeladim – Judie Gerstein Early Learning Center, Morristown |
| Oheb Shalom Congregation, Mickey Fried Preschool, South Orange |
| Cheder Lubavitch of Morristown, Morristown |
| Shomrei Emunah Preschool, Montclair |
| Suburban Torah, Iris & Errol Berman Early Childhood Center, Livingston |
| Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, Springfield |
| Temple Beth Shalom, Livingston |
| Temple B’nai Abraham, The Early School, Livingston |
| Temple Bnai Or Preschool, Morristown |
| Temple Emanu-El Early Childhood Education Program, Westfield |
| Temple Har Shalom, The Orchard Academy at Mountain Top School, Warren |
| Temple Ner Tamid, Shoresh Preschool, Bloomfield |
| Temple Sharey Tefilo Israel, Iris Family Center for Early Childhood Education, South Orange |
| Temple Sinai Early Childhood Education Program, Summit |
| YM-YWHA of Union County, Union |
FAQs
We only have one child, and we are applying for a Jewish infant care program for the first time. How does GMW Right Start work?
If a child is the first in a family to attend a Jewish early childhood program and meets all eligibility requirements, that child will be eligible for the GMW Right Start Voucher when they begin the 2s program.
Our family already received the voucher for our oldest child. Are we eligible to receive the voucher for our younger children as well?
Unfortunately, at this time, we are only able to offer one voucher per family.
My older child never received the GMW Right Start voucher. Can his younger brother receive it when he enters Jewish early childhood center for the first time?
The GMW Right Start voucher is only available for families in which the child is the first in the family to attend a GMW school.
If we already received a voucher for one child, can we get another voucher for the same child next year?
Only one voucher per family may be redeemed.
If I already attended a parent/child class together with my child, can I still apply for the voucher if I am planning on enrolling her independently next year?
Yes, a parent/child class does not qualify for a voucher, so you may apply for the voucher when enrolling your child in a 2s class that meets independently.
We just moved to the Greater MetroWest area from out of state/another country, where my child attended a Jewish preschool program. Is my child eligible for the voucher?
Since the GMW Right Start voucher is unique to Greater MetroWest, and families are not eligible in other cities, your child is eligible to receive the voucher.
My child is entering kindergarten at a Jewish day school next year. Is she eligible for the voucher?
A child entering kindergarten is not eligible. The child needs to be enrolling in a 2s program (or point of entry) at a participating early childhood center or day school.
My child attended a Jewish preschool for just a few months, but then dropped out and we never received the voucher. Can we apply for one now?
If a child attended a Jewish early childhood program for less than three months and did not redeem the voucher at that time, but then dropped out, that child is eligible for the GMW Right Start voucher if/when that child is applying in a new 2s Jewish early childhood program.
I was never told about GMW Right Start, but I would have applied to it. Can I still get it now that my child is in her second year?
Our community and your Jewish preschool do our best to inform everyone about the program. Unfortunately, this information may not reach everyone. If a family does not apply for a GMW Right Start gift voucher within 3 months of their start date, they cannot retroactively apply for the voucher. Our funding guidelines cannot accommodate these situations.
If my child goes to summer camp at one of the participating schools, would they be eligible for the vouchers?
The voucher does not cover summer camp, so your child would be eligible when applying for the 2s program at the school.
If this is my first child in a new marriage to attend a Jewish early childhood center, are they eligible for the voucher?
Yes. Yours is considered a new family unit, so your child is eligible as the first child in this family to attend.
My older child attends public pre-K on site at the synagogue where we plan to enroll our 2-year-old in the private program. Is our 2-year-old eligible?
The GMW Right Start vouchers are available for the first child to attend a Jewish early childhood program. If your older child never attended the private program, the next child would be eligible when beginning in the 2s.
I have twins/multiples. Can they receive the GMW Right Start voucher?
Twins/multiples are eligible for the gift vouchers (if they are your first children). If your twins/multiples are not your first children, they are not eligible for gift voucher. When applying for twins/multiples, please fill out a separate application for each child.
Have questions or need help finding a program that best fits your family? Contact Emily Fox at efox@jfedgmw.org
GMW Right Start was created to increase awareness and access to Jewish early childhood programs for Greater MetroWest families and is made possible by the generosity of The Cooperman Family Fund for a Jewish Future of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest.
Matching funding is provided by the national JEWISH RIGHT START® program, an initiative of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor.
Building an inclusive community is a priority. Please email federation@jfedgmw.org to let us know if you require an accommodation to meaningfully participate in an event. One of our Federation professionals will reach out to you to learn more.