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The Jewish Federation of Greater Fort Lauderdale

E xecutive S u m m a ry

Feasibility Study for a JCC Preschool in Northwest Broward County

Dr. Ira M. Sheskin Associate Professor Department of Geography Judaic Studies Program University of Miami
April, 1991

Executive Summary
The purpose of this study is to examine the need for additional Jewish preschool programs in the northwestern portions of Broward County centered around the community of Coral Springs. This study resulted from a disagreement between the Jewish Community Center and a number of area synagogues as to the advisability of siting a JCC preschool in the Coral Springs area. This study represents a model of community cooperation. A disagreement existed among institutions. A methodology was developed to collect relevant information in a scientific manner and an a priori agreement was reached as to a procedure for determining whether the results would lead to establishment of a JCC preschool. Information was collected on the general and Jewish population growth of the area to gain prespective on the growth of the preschool market. These results showed that: 1) the general population of this area is expected to continue to grow at significant rates; and 2) the Jewish population of the Coral Springs/Parkland area has grown by 53% in the past five years. A telephone survey of 298 preschool households was conducted in the area north of Commercial Boulevard and west of the Turnpike. Households with Distinctive Jewish Names were sampled from the telephone directory. The first questions were designed to determine whether the household met one of the following criteria: 1) A child between the ages of 0-5 lives in the household. 2) A person under the age of 45 lives in the household without children age 0-5 and (additional) children are planned at some future date. If the criteria were met, the survey continued. The major results of the survey were: 1. The number of children seems to have declined over the past couple of years (Table 1). There are only 35 children under the age of 1 and 21 children between age 1 and 2. On the other hand, there are 60 2-year olds, 53 3-year olds, 72 four-year olds and 51 five-year olds. 2. The average number of persons per household is 3.6. Only 5% of households are single persons living alone, because of the requirement that households either have a preschool child or be planning children. Almost one in four households have 5 or more members (Table 2). 3. 89% of respondents are currently married. Almost 70% of the respondents are female (Table 3). 4. Only 5% earn under $25,000 and almost one in four earn over $100,000 (Table 4). 55% of preschool children have two parents working full time (Table 5). 5. Half of the sample are still expecting to have additional children within the next ten years (Table 6). 6. 65% of preschool households live in Coral Springs with approximately equal percentages in Margate, Parkland North Lauderdale, and Coconut Creek (Table 7). 7. 37% of households moved to Broward from New York and 8% from New Jersey. 18% of these households moved to Broward County from Dade County (Table 8). 8. 38% of preschool households have moved in in the past 1-4 years. Almost two-thirds of the Page i

sample has moved in in the past 1-10 years (Table 9). 9. 30% will ``definitely'' or ``probably'' move in the next three years (Table 10). Only about 7% indicate plans to move out of the area (Table 11). 10. 17% of the marriages involve a person who is currently Jewish and a person not currently Jewish (Table 12). 11. 36% of preschool households indicate that they are members of synagogues (Table 13). 12. Overall 11% of households are JCC members (Table 13). 13. Tables 13-14 show a number of measures of religiosity for the entire sample, for single, inmarried and intermarried households, and for synagogue members and non-members. On the whole, in-marrieds are more likely to follow Jewish religious practices than are single or intermarried households and synagogue members are more likely to practice these rituals than are non-members. Lighting Chanukah candles is ``always'' done by 88% of these households, 80% ``always'' attend a Passover Seder, but only 15% ``always'' light Sabbath candles. 10% keep kosher in the home and 4% out of the home. 15% of households ``always'' have a Christmas tree, although such is the case for less than 6% of in-marrieds and 64% of intermarrieds. 14. Less than 1% indicate that they are Orthodox. There are about equal numbers of ``Conservative'' and ``Reform'' Jews and 26% call themselves ``Just Jewish.'' Note that this question involved self-identification and the answer may not reflect synagogue membership (Table 14). 15. 44% of the households have had at least one household member visit Israel (Table 14). 16. 65% of households gave to some Jewish charity in 1990; 30% indicate they gave to the Jewish Federation of Greater Fort Lauderdale (Table 14). 17. 53% attend at a temple preschool; 3%, a JCC preschool, 3% go to a ``church,'' in this case, the YMCA; and 9%, to a public school. The remainder go to a private non-sectarian program. 30% of children age 5 and under do not attend preschool, most of these being under age 3 (Table 15). 18. A survey of area Jewish preschools indicate that 640 Jewish children from this area are in Jewish preschool and that 56% of Jewish children attend Jewish preschool that, in total, there are 1,140 Jewish children in preschool. The 500 who are enrolled in non-Jewish programs represent a significant market for the proposed JCC. There are a total of 1,620 Jewish preschool age children in northwest Broward (Table 25). 19. About half of respondents found themselves unable to answer a question concerning how the quality of Jewish-sponsored preschools compares to the quality of other private preschools in Broward County. Of those who did answer, only about 5% thought Jewish preschools to be ``worse'' or ``much worse.'' 16% believed them to be ``much better''; 46%, ``better'' (Table 16). 20. All but about 5% of respondents are either ``very satisfied'' (45%) or ``satisfied'' (50%) with their current preschool (Table 17). 21. Parents with a child currently in preschool were asked, ``What is the major reason you selected this program?'' Word of mouth (reputation) is clearly the most important factor, with 23% of respondents indicating such. The fact that a particular program is Jewish was important to 20% of respondents. Of the households with a child in a Jewish preschool, 33% indicated that the fact Page ii

that the program was Jewish was a major reason. ``Program type'' (stresses academics, doesn't stress academics, etc.) was important to about 16% and distance, to 15% (Table 18). 22. Most parents consider it ``very important'' (42%) or ``important'' (43%) for their children to associate with other Jewish children in a Jewish setting. Only 6% view this as ``unimportant'' or ``very unimportant.'' 9% indicated no preference (Table 19). 23. About 75% are unwilling to drive more than 20 minutes to reach a preschool (Table 20). 24. Respondents were asked to rank their preference for different types of preschool programs: temple preschools, JCC preschools, and non-Jewish preschools. About 80% indicated preference for a Jewish preschool over a non-Jewish preschool (Table 21). It is also apparent that most persons prefer a temple over a JCC, with 43% indicating a first preference of a temple, JCC second, and non-Jewish third, in comparison with 20% who indicate that their first preference is a JCC, then a temple and then a non-Jewish preschool. About 5% would prefer a non-Jewish preschool to either of the Jewish options. These results are relatively similar for: 1) households with children in Jewish preschool; 2) households with children in non-Jewish preschool; 3) households with children not yet in preschool; and 4) households who do not yet have children (Table 21). 25. The most interesting result from the households which currently have a child in a non-Jewish preschool is that 72% would actually prefer to have their children in a Jewish preschool. Thus, for a large percentage of these households, their choice of a program differs from their preference. 26. The vast majority of parents who have children not yet in preschool or who are planning to have children in the future will ``probably'' or ``definitely'' send their children to a preschool. This projected behavior is consistent with the fact that only 5% of 4- and 5-year olds in the sample were not currently enrolled in either a preschool or in kindergarten. (Table 23). 27. Respondents were asked directly the likelihood that they would send their children to a JCC preschool in the Coral Square Mall. Overall, 11% indicated ``definitely'' and 44% ``probably'' (Table 24 and Figure 14). More importantly, the responses from the ``child in other preschool'' column indicate that 8% would ``definitely'' send their child while 38% would ``probably'' do so. 28. Of the 500 children (Table 25) currently enrolled in non-Jewish preschool, 40 or 8% (Table 24) would ``definitely'' enroll in the Coral Square Mall facility. Another 38% (188) would probably enroll at the facility. For children not currently in preschool, 62, or 13%, will ``definitely'' enroll and 222, or 46%, would ``probably enroll.'' Just adding the ``definitely'' together for the two groups (from non-Jewish preschools and current non-enrolles) suggests that about 102 may be expected to enroll in the Coral Square Mall facility (Table 26).

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The reader should see the final chapter of this report for a more complete analysis of the findings of this study. Two findings are most critical in the decision of this researcher to recommend that the JCC open a Coral Square Mall preschool: 1) The level of growth of the Jewish population in this area is significant, implying a growth in the overall number of preschool children over the next five years. 2) 500 children are currently enrolled in non-Jewish preschools and 72% of these parents express a desire for Jewish preschool. 8% indicate they will ``definitely'' send their child to a Coral Square Mall JCC; 38% ``probably'' will do so.

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