JCYS Northeast Family Center

At the JCYS Northwest Family Center we create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for every child and their family. To maintain a committed family focus, we aim to be both supportive of individual families and responsive to changing family and community needs. Working in partnership with you, we promote the optimal development of your children by providing safe and stimulating programs to address the developmental strengths and needs of each child. As a family Center licensed by DCFS and guided by NAEYC standards, we put your children first.

The JCYS NWFC has much to offer families: adult-child classes, traditional Pre-School, full-day Pre-School (age 6 weeks to 5 years), kindergarten enrichment, before- and after- school programs in addition to a full array of enrichment classes to extend and enhance your childs day. For children in elementary school, we offer School Vacation Day programs. The fun doesnt stop during the summer months when we offer both Sunflower Day Camp for children ages 15 months to 4 years and Horner Grove for children ages 4 through 6. Horner Grove is a great transition to JCYS Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside. Infant care for children ages 6 weeks to 15 months is available year round.

Our philosophy is based upon the belief that in a child-centered environment all children can learn and grow. We believe that a child’s sense of self worth is critical to his or her social, physical and intellectual development. In our warm and caring environment, we nurture each child, fostering his or her growth through developmentally appropriate interactions and experiences that instill a zest for life and a love of learning.

By encouraging an emergent curriculum, our teachers identify the childrens interests (as expressed or observed) and choose topics that inspire children to explore their ever expanding world. Our program is concerned with all aspects of the childrens development: intellectual, social emotional, and physical. Therefore, our curriculum places emphasis on learning through play, which is the way children best develop skills in all of these areas. In order to facilitate this goal,
our classrooms are arranged into well conceived, well prepared environmental
areas, or “learning centers”. The children choose from the available learning center
how best to spend their time with the guidance and support of our teaching staff. In this environment, children can build their confidence and develop problem-solving skills by trying different ways of finding solutions to the challenges presented in each learning center.

At the JCYS Northwest Family Center, we believe that all children are special, and therefore, we do not exclude any child from our program based on ability or need. We have on staff a Child and Family Development Specialist to assist with the individual needs of your child. If you or your child needs additional support in the classroom environment, please feel free to contact us. As part of our mission statement, Jewish Council for Youth Services, is dedicated to serving the developmental needs of Jewish children, their families, and the greater community.

Child Ages:

6 weeks - 13 years

Licenses & Accreditations:

Department of Children and Family Services

Preschool:

Yes

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Friday 06:45 - 18:00