JCYS Lincoln Square Ravenswood

At JCYS, we communicate regularly with families to make sure parents stay informed about their children’s development. We post daily sheets for our preschool parents to keep families up-to-date on everything their child is learning. We also share formal evaluations with parents twice a year and hold conferences to help them better understand their child’s developmental growth.

Staff at JCYS want you to be part of our incredible community of families. Community is one of our greatest strengths and building relationships is one of our most important goals. Our alumni have returned to us as teachers, parents, and counselors in our camp programs. We also support and give back to our community through food drives for the Lakeview Food Pantry, toiletries and diaper collection for the local women’s shelter, and coat and shoe drives.

JCYS programs are open to families of every faith. Children at our family centers learn about Jewish traditions and culture through inclusive celebrations. We observe Shabbat (the Jewish sabbath) every Friday and invite one child from each classroom to serve as “Shabbat helper” every week. The children’s parents join us in the classroom to read a book or enjoy a special activity. Then all classrooms gather together to sing songs, light the candles, and say the prayers. We also organize family events around major holidays, including a mock Seder for Passover, a Hanukkah party, and decorating the Sukkah for our Sukkot celebration.

Jewish cultural activities also connect to academic and social goals. For example, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we guide each child to make a “new year” card with pictures and collages and then sign the card before we mail it out to the family.