Last month, The Efshar Project gathered community leaders, educators, clergy, funders, and champions of Jewish life for our annual Powering Possibilities Lunch + Learn—an afternoon rooted in learning, connection, and a shared commitment to the future of Jewish early childhood education (ECE) in Colorado.

Hosted at Temple Emanuel, the room was filled with people who understand a simple but powerful truth: when we invest in early childhood, we invest in the strength, vitality, and continuity of Jewish life itself.

A Shared Vision for What’s Possible

This year’s program highlighted inspiring educators across Efshar’s network, including: 

• Maryam Mosavi, an Afghani Muslim immigrant and a teacher at Temple Sinai Preschool. 
• Kit Karbler, an Early Childhood Service Corps (ECSC) member and volunteer at the Rabbi Steven Foster Early Learning Center at Temple Emanuel.
• Josh Rifkin, Efshar Pedagogical Coach and Jewish educator for 15 years.
• Orna Siegel, Executive Director of ElevatEd, a national Jewish ECE collaborative initiative. 

Maryam spoke about her love of educating young children and the power of shared values across diverse backgrounds. 

Kit emphasized the transformative impact of creating more opportunities for young children and older adults to grow, learn, and play with one another. 

Josh shared his reflections on the importance of investing in educators and led the room in an exciting interactive Jericho rose experiment.

Orna addressed the challenges and opportunities facing Jewish ECE today. 

Why Efshar Exists

At its core, Efshar—Hebrew for “possible”—exists to strengthen the Jewish ECE community by enhancing quality and supporting an accessible, interconnected network of Jewish early childhood programs and providers. Powering Possibilities was a living expression of that mission.

Together, we explored:

• How strong early childhood programs anchor Jewish communities.
• Why supporting educators is essential to long-term impact.
• What it takes to ensure more families can access high-quality Jewish early learning.

And perhaps most importantly, we reflected on what becomes possible when we choose to invest—collectively and courageously—in the earliest years.

Gratitude and Momentum

We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us, shared their curiosity, asked thoughtful questions, and helped create a space of learning and inspiration. Thank you to our partners, speakers, host community, and supporters who believe, as we do, that early childhood education is foundational.

Powering Possibilities is not just an event. It is a call to action and a reminder that meaningful change begins early.

We leave this gathering energized, grounded, and ready to continue strengthening the Jewish early childhood ecosystem—together.

Because when we invest in young children, educators, and families, we don’t just support what exists today—we power what’s possible tomorrow.