Launched with Love

JCYS Family Centers foster a love of learning while helping children develop social and emotional skills in a nurturing environment. Located in Chicago (Lincoln Square Ravenswood and Wicker Park), Buffalo Grove, and Highland Park, our play-based curriculum delivers age-appropriate lessons in math, science, and literacy while encouraging creativity and individual expression.

JCYS offers early childhood education (infant care, toddler care, and preschool), summer camps, and specialty programs year-round to serve children ages 6 weeks through 13 years.

About Us

Program Highlights

Academic Foundations

If there’s one thing children are good at, it’s asking “why.” At JCYS, every “why” is an opportunity to practice counting, learn a new letter, or find a country on the map. Children’s natural curiosity and playfulness guide our curriculum. Our teachers encourage children to ask questions and explore their interests while building reading skills, comfort with words, and a foundation in math and science.

Jewish Culture & Engagement

If there’s one thing children are good at, it’s asking “why.” At JCYS, every “why” is an opportunity to practice counting, learn a new letter, or find a country on the map. Children’s natural curiosity and playfulness guide our curriculum. Our teachers encourage children to ask questions and explore their interests while building reading skills, comfort with words, and a foundation in math and science.

Physical Development

At JCYS, children run, jump, bounce, climb, dance, and crawl through indoor and outdoor play spaces. Our experienced teachers encourage active play during the school day to build children’s strength, stamina, and gross motor skills.

Social and Emotional Skills

Children at JCYS learn to share with peers, manage conflict, solve problems independently, and take on age-appropriate challenges. Through group play and classroom activities, children make friends and build social-emotional skills for success inside and outside of the classroom.

2 days ago

The JCYS 2025 Annual Report is here!This year brought record interest in infant care, incredible generosity at Wild for JCYS, and exciting steps toward our future through strategic planning.💛 Read more about the impact we’re building together: jcys.org/wp-content/uploads/JCYS-Annual-Report_2025-for-web.pdf ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

The Owls at JCYS Highland Park kicked off the school year with some fun learning activities! 🦉✨ Choices included playdough and slime for fine motor skills, letters for recognition, loose parts for imaginative play, and of course, plenty of outdoor time. ☀️They also used mirrors to draw their first self-portraits—building confidence, creativity, and self-expression. 🎨💛 ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

Last week at JCYS Lincoln Square Ravenswood, our amazing educators explored Reggio-Emilia-inspired learning, using loose parts to bring "The Three Little Pigs" to life. 🐷🐷🐷🏠They also participated in "Nurturing Our Jewish Values," creating paintings that reflect kavod (respect), chesed (kindness), tikkun olam (repairing the world), shalom (peace), hakarat hatov (gratitude), tzedakah (justice & charity), and kehillah (community). These beautiful artworks will be proudly displayed outside classrooms this week! 🎨JCYS is lucky to have the best staff, who bring creativity, heart, and meaning into every classroom. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook