Educational Resource Center (Special Needs)

The DKP’s longest ongoing program, the Educational Resource Center (ERC), now 20 years old, brings international attention to the issue of special needs education. It offers training sessions and workshops for parents and educators, and specialists who work in schools. The ERC has been life changing for the women and children who were previously homebound, and roughly 85 children and 10 young adults are enrolled at the ERC. The greater secular community, including the government, looks to the ERC for advice with respect to the issue of disabilities. The DKP funded the ERC's new website to communicate best practices in serving children and young adults with special needs, and has broadened the ERC’s resources to communities across the FSU. This year, the ERC worked with the government to establish a bachelor’s degree program in special education. Many of the mothers whose children have participated in the ERC are enrolled in this program.

Jewish Big Brother Big Sister Program (JBBBS)

Since Boston’s JBBBS established a partnership in Dnipro in 2001, more than 300 children have been matched with Big Brothers and Sisters, including children with special needs. With over 80 current matches, JBBBS helps foster pride in Jewish identity through weekly gatherings and activities for “littles” and their families, and provides emotional support and opportunities to socialize. Most “bigs” are Hillel students and other young Jewish adults. CJP’s funding also covers psychological counseling and a 10-day summer camp.

The DKP JBBBS program is not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. 

Visiting Moms

With professional guidance from Boston’s Jewish Family & Children's Service (JF&CS), the DKP introduced the successful Visiting Moms program to Dnipro in 2017. Designed to serve young mothers in a community fraught with poverty, alcoholism, and economic disparity, the DKP has partnered with the international Jewish women’s organization, Project Kesher, to run the project and expand throughout Ukraine. Over two dozen young mothers have participated and there have been more than 180 visits of mentor mothers with new mothers. Boston volunteers and staff from JF&CS travel to Dnipro and participate in Skype calls with “mentor moms” in Dnipro.

Moishe House

This house serves as a center for young adult activities and is the newest project of the DKP. The residents are engaged in the Jewish community in some capacity, including as “bigs” for the DKP’s JBBBS. A partnership between the recently established Moishe House in Dnipro and Boston’s Russian-speaking Moishe House is under exploration.