ewish Pre;
ME HIST SOCIETY 1500 R SI LINCOLN ME 6G508-1651
SERVING NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA FOR NEARLY 80 YEARS Vol. LXXK
No. 25
Omaha, NE
19Adar,576O
February 25,2000
NCJW report shows child care crisis affects families at most economic levels by Ivy Miller
Nearly three decades after first sounding the alarm about a nationwide child care crisis, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) has issued a report showing that, for millions of American families, the lack of affordable, quality child care • remains a pervasive problem. NCJWs Opening a New Window on Child Care, a progress report and syntheses of recent research, reveals significant obstacles faced by working parents at all income levels. For example, in Florida, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and 12 other states, the average cost of day care for four-yearolds can be nearly twice the annual cost of college tuition. "For most working parents, searching for child care is like running an Olympic track race-every hurdle they leap is followed by another," said NCJW National President J a n Schneiderman. • "After 12 months or more on a child care waiting list, parents then face the obstacle of paying, as much as . $10,000 a year with little guarantee" of quality care," she added. • Th report, unveiled at a major press conference last week, was highlighted on The Evening News with Tom Brokaw, and can be accessed in full at
NCJWs website: www.ncjw.org. "The reality of the 21st century is that millions of children are in child care every day. If we are serious about providing a good education for children, we must see quality child care as an opportunity to promote school readiness and to encourage positive youth development," added NCJW Special Project Consultant Joan Lombardi, the; former director of the Child Care Bureau for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Opening a Window on Child Care takes a critical second look at many of the key issues highlighted in the NCJWs groundbreaking 1972 report, Windows on Day Care. In the context of a vastly different economy, in which two-income families, have become the photo by Max Taylor norm, Opening a New Window docu- Omahan J a n Schneiderman, NCJW National President, left, listens as ments the system is fighting a losing project consultant Joan Lombardi cites the organization's report, Opening a Window on Day Care, a t a press conference with NCJW battle to meet rising needs. Women are entering the workforce National Vice-president Anne Oppenheimer and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT). income children who need care. in unprecedented numbers. Approx- gle to meet their child care needs. imately 72 percent of women with Even if parents are lucky enough to According to Linda Novak, Director children iinHpr "IS, qrirl 7fl; pprc'?"* .,.fin.d ,sa,tisjasjory child care services, 6f the Jewish Community Center's with school age children,: are now in they' inust confront' Ithe hurdle of Child Development Center (and-^ a the work force. Over the next five exceedingly high costs. Of course, the past-president of NCJW, Omaha years, women are expected to account closer a family is to poverty, the Section), "There is a tremendous for 60 percent of new labor force greater the financial burden. According teacher shortage in Nebraska and entrants. Yet, already there are clear to the Children's Defense Fund, 43 that affects the quality of child care.signs of crises as communities strug- states are unable to serve all the low(Continued on page 9)
A 'front-line' guy Rabbi Aaron Panken to speak to youth, community, leadership by Carol Katzman
started a post-confirmation program and then At 35, Aaron Panken is one of the youngest rabworked at a congregation on the Upper West Side bis to serve as Dean of Hebrew Union College while continuing to take classes at both NYU and Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. But the Jewish Theological Seminary (the Conservative he hasn't forgotten his experience as a youth direcmovement's rabbinic school). tor, a camp counselor or a congregational rabbi. "I loved teaching and working with kids," he said. No ivory tower professional, Rabbi Panken still He still does, because hell be doing just that on enjoys visiting communities and speaking directly Wednesday, March 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m., when he to young people, a role not far from the camp and speaks on "Ancient Traditions-Modern Life youth group work he performed while still an Experiences: the Teaching of Jewish Values" at undergraduate at John's Hopkins University studyTemple Israel. Using traditional Jewish texts and ing electrical engineering. contemporary situations, Rabbi Panken will teach So how did he make the leap from computers to teens and their parents how to help Judaism serve congregations? , as a guide in "every day actions and interactions." "I discovered I'd be spending most of my time in a The learning and teaching part of Rabbi Panken's lab developing prototypes," he said in a recent job as Dean of HUC-JIR is as important to him as interview, "instead of being with people. the contact with people. Currently completing his "The questions I was answering in my university dissertation, Panken expects to obtain hiB PhD in studies weren't the ones I wanted to answer." Talmud and Rabbinic Literature from New York While he was a research- assistant inUniversity in the near future. He already holds a electronic/biomedical engineering at Hopkins Master's in Hebrew Letters and was ordained as a Medical School, Panken was also part-time regional rabbi in 1991 from HUC-JIR. youth .director for NFTY (National Federation of "While work on my dissertation is important, it Temple Youth, the Reform movement's youth orgadoes seem to take a back seat to the work I do at the nization). college," he noted about his more than full-time job as He worked out of Baltimore Hebrew Dean. He was appointed to this position in 1998 after Congregation, which just happened ;.t#,-.be where ^ Rabbi Aaron Panken Rabbi Aryeh Azriel held the position of Assistant "Rabbi Azriel was one of the people who encour- serving for two years as Dean of Students. "I am a front-line kind of guy," he said with a Rabbi! After obtaining his rabbinic ordination from aged me to go into the rabbinate, and then I served HUC-JIR in New York, Panken served as Assistant a wonderful internship for Rabbi Jack Stern while laugh. "Involvement with our students' lives is an important component." (and then Associate) Rabbi of Congregation Rodeph studying at HUC-JIR," Rabbi Panken noted. Shalom in New York City. ';!' • While at the Westchester congregation, Panken (Continued on page 9)