Monthly Archives: September 2016

Expanding Early Childhood Curriculum

The Katz JCC is excited to expand its already trusted and accredited education programs with new curriculum and partnerships with several area agencies. Partnerships include the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, the Atlantic City Aquarium and the ShopRite of Somers Point. These agencies will provide monthly programming in our preschool and day care classes.

“It is our hope that these partnerships will continue to inspire a love of learning in each and every child that passes through our door, creating lifelong learners,” Jan Higbee, Early Childhood Education Director.

The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey has created a curriculum especially for preschool children centered on endangered species indigenous to New Jersey.

The Atlantic City Aquarium’s curriculum will focus on marine life native to the Jersey Shore, with classes culminating in a field trip to the Aquarium for our three & four-year-old classes.

Jesse Tannehill, Dietician at the Shop Rite of Somers Point will be providing fresh fruits and vegetables for our children to sample. In addition we will be revamping our community garden this coming spring and engaging students in a farm to table project of growing produce to use in their classrooms.

The JCC Early Childhood Education Center is currently in the process of becoming accredited with Grow NJ Kids, which is New Jersey’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for schools within the state. Accredited schools are assessed and rated after Grow NJ Kids has observed classes within each school, giving parents a consistent rating system to compare child care centers.

Through participation in the Grow NJ Kids program, we were able to purchase a complete set of Creative Curriculum materials for each classroom. Teachers are currently reviewing the new materials and will receive training from a certified Grow NJ Kids representative by the end of October.

The Creative Curriculum utilizes both whole group and small group instruction to guide students through 38 learning objectives that directly align with the NJ State Early Childhood Learning standards.

To learn more about Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies, please visit teachingstrategies.com/curriculum

EXCITING NEW FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS

Milton & Betty Katz JCC Fitness Center Lobby RenovationFifteen years ago, the JCC went through a dramatic transformation from a 60-year-old 50,000 sq ft building into a newly expanded 75,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility. This included renovations to the auditorium, indoor pool area, and the addition of the new gym, preschool and new second floor offices  that include Bacharach Rehabilitation center and the Jewish Federation of Atlantic and Cape May County.  Recently you may have noticed that the JCC has been upgrading the fitness equipment, 30 new spin bikes, 5 new treadmills and a few other pieces of equipment.

The JCC is excited to plan for additional upgrades to the facility. In the next few months, we will be painting, adding new carpet and upgrading the lobby furnishings along with replacing some of the aging air conditioning and heating units. After the 2016 capital campaign is completed and funds are raised, we will be improving the locker rooms and spa facilities and replacing additional heating and air-conditioning units.

     We appreciate your support and patience while we go through these improvements in order to remain a premier Health, Fitness and Wellness facility, Early Childhood Education Center and Community Center in the area. We hope you notice the improvements and we will keep you posted as we continue the progress.