Chag Sameach
Chag Sameach
There’s something about all holidays that gives us pause and allows us to mark time. We might think about where we are, where we were last year and where we are going. Holidays are often a mix of emotions as we look forward to being with friends and family while missing loved ones who can’t […] Learn More ›
A Twist on Traditions
Family favorites from JCC staff What’s your favorite part of the seder? For many of our JCC employees, it’s their unique family traditions that make the holiday truly exceptional. These special seder rituals are steeped in love, humor and empowerment. Take a look and get inspired! You might just find one to borrow for your […] Learn More ›
Be kind. Be respectful. Be human.
Written by Maddie Brim 25 letters, six words, one message. Like any other teenager, I was nervous to immerse myself and connect with other teens. I had no idea that these people would soon turn into my family. A week later, I couldn’t have imagined a better experience. I had no idea that connecting with these […] Learn More ›
Parkinson’s Wellness Initiative Honored by Spertus Institute
Last week, JCC Chicago was awarded the Innovation and Collaboration Award by the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership for its program, the Parkinson’s Wellness Initiative. Addie Goodman, Chief Advancement Officer, accepted the award at Spertus’ Jewish Community Networking Night. She was joined by Amy Eisenstein, Director of the Leonard Schanfield Research Institute at […] Learn More ›
Tips for Toilet Learning
Toilet Learning is a Partnership: As a child begins to express curiosity and interest in using the toilet independently, some questions may arise as to what the process will look like. Since children develop at their own pace, not all children are ready to initiate toileting at the same time, and the process will vary […] Learn More ›
Week of the Young Child: A Daily Celebration
As a proud member of the nationally accredited NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) community, JCC Chicago feels that every week is a celebration of the young child. Although it’s nice to get national attention for one week a year, our children are the center of what we do every day, every week…all […] Learn More ›
Focus on Fitness at Bernard Horwich JCC
We have heard from you that you would like to enjoy more fitness offerings with us at Horwich. In order to be more responsive to the entire community, we will be transitioning the current racquetball court into a group exercise room. We hope this improvement will also address the need for single gender exercise space. Once […] Learn More ›
5 Reasons Your Child Should Learn Hebrew at Camp
Think about how you may have learned Hebrew as child. Now imagine how it would have been if your first exposure to the language was in a fun, friend-filled camp setting. This is Hebrew Immersion at Apachi Village Day Camp, a new program debuting this summer for 3-5 year olds. This summer we’ll DO Hebrew, […] Learn More ›
Five Essentials to Meaningful Play
The famous Mr. Fred Rogers once said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” At JCC Chicago Early Childhood, we believe that play is essential to a child’s development. It helps build their self-esteem, […] Learn More ›
Chicago Jewish Film Festival Special Events
The Chicago Jewish Film Festival opens on March 10th at eight city and suburban venues. The diverse selection of culturally significant films will inspire, excite, educate and engage audiences of all ages. Check out the list below of special events, screenings and speakers for many of the talked-about films of the festival. Thursday, March […] Learn More ›
Our Passionate Community
For the fourth and final blog post in our series for Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, we turned over the writing to the Chi family. We put out a brief, online questionnaire to ask the Chi community about what inclusion means to them and why it is important at Camp Chi. We were overwhelmed by […] Learn More ›
Chew on This: How to Help a Picky Eater
Of all the daily challenges that parenting a young child brings, dealing with a picky eater can be one of the most frustrating. After all, eating seems like such a natural process to most adults, that it can be confusing when a child doesn’t approach food with the same instincts as we do. Not to […] Learn More ›
4 Questions to Consider When Sending Your Preschooler to Camp
As a JCC Chicago camp director, I spend most of the winter and spring months on the phone with parents who have questions about camp. The number one question I hear is, “How do I know if my child is ready for summer camp?” The questions often continue with “How will he find his way […] Learn More ›
The Fine Art of “Play Dating”: 13 Tips to Create a Successful Experience
Over time I have learned that, much like the art of dating, setting up a successful playdate for children requires a bit of finesse. In order to avoid the potential pitfalls that can arise when putting young children in the same space together, it is important that the coordinating adults help structure the experience to […] Learn More ›
Remembering Mrs. Rose Shure
Our JCC community mourns the loss of Mrs. Rose Shure, who died on Monday at the age of 95. Mrs. Shure was the chairman of Shure, Inc., the Niles-based company founded by her husband, Sidney. Together they built a global business but also established the Sidney N. Shure Kehilla Fund that supports vibrant JCC Chicago […] Learn More ›
Celebrating Differences: Accepting What Makes Us Unique
By: Rena Rosen, Mayer Kaplan JCC Preschool Teacher and Founder of Art of Compassion and Jamie Miller, LCPC, JCC Chicago Early Childhood Social Services In today’s society, children have many opportunities to explore similarities and differences of people from various ethnicities, religions, cultures, genders, intellect and physical abilities, among other attributes that make us each […] Learn More ›