Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Children and youth servicesthe jcc traditionally serves upwards of 3,000 children and youth in sports, aquatics, dance, performing arts, and fitness -- promoting creative, active and engaged learning in a safe and nurturing environment. Jcc's early childhood development Centers (ecdc) often serve as the entry point for families to the jcc and is our first opportunity to develop relationships across the lifetime continuum. Across both of our locations in squirrel hill and south hills, more than 200 children are currently enrolled, making us one of the largest early childhood programs in the county. The jcc's ecdc provides an enriching and nurturing environment for children aged 6 weeks to five years old. Ecdc incorporates physical fitness, music, art, math, science, reading, and emotional and spiritual development into each day as we prepare children for the academic and life challenges ahead. Our program follows guidelines developed by the national Association for the education of Young children (naeyc) and the Pennsylvania keystone stars initiative. The jcc has operated at approximately 2/3 of licensed capacity during the pandemic and hopes to restore enrollment closer to pre-covid levels over the next several years.from pre-school through high school, the jcc plays an active role in the development of our youth. Our clubhouse after-school program serves nearly 100 children in kindergarten through 6th grade, most of whom come from either single-parent families or two working parent households who depend on this "wrap-around" service. The enrichment-oriented program combines free play, organized activities, self-directed specialties and homework time. Full-day programs are also available during school breaks and are staffed at the last minute to cover school cancellations and snow days. The jcc also continues to offer full day support to elementary school children in the event that area schools are forced to offer remote instruction only. The jcc serves more than 400 children and staff with special needs throughout its programs, including the ecdc, clubhouse, Jewish singles support network and day and overnight camps. Additionally, the jcc's gesher Young adult Center serves 13 adolescents and Young adults with developmental and physical disabilities each weekday after school and is the only model of its kind in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.beyond social/recreational, athletic and cultural programs for teenagers, we take tremendous pride in a long-overlooked area of teen services - employment. While we are well known as a primary provider of early childhood, after-school, and camping programs for thousands of children, we often provide former program participants with their first employment opportunity based on these experiences. In the past fiscal year, the jcc provided employment opportunities to more than 200 teens and Young adults, who are employed at jcc camps and clubhouse after-school program as counselors, staff, specialists and sports coaches, making the jcc one of the larger teen employers in the area.

Fitness and wellnessthe jcc's health and wellness programs are a core service offering and continue to be the most heavily utilized service and the largest entry point for the jcc's adult population. Activities such as aquatics, basketball, zumba, group exercise, yoga, and personal training, begin with children as Young as six months to older adults in their 90's in both squirrel hill and south hills. Jcc programs and equipment, including adaptive motion trainers, make fitness increasingly accessible for individuals of all ages and abilities.approximately one-third of our physical space in our year-round facilities is dedicated toward this purpose which, serves more than 10,000 individuals annually over 90 hours each week. New health and wellness programs such as active recovery, high intensity interval training and functional fitness workouts have engaged a wider and more diverse population. The jcc continues to offer a suite of specialized programs for older adults designed to keep seniors active, healthy and independent, including, but not limited to, homemeds medication assurance program, senior active personal training sessions, walk with ease, aging mastery program, arthritis aquatics, tai chi and parkinson wellness recovery. The jcc also offers comprehensive fitness programming for older adults, including silversneakers and silver&fit and a variety of wellness programs designed specifically for older adults and taught by certified instructors. In total each week, the jcc provides nearly 40 regularly scheduled health and wellness classes that serve over 1,300 individuals on a regular basis. This year, over 10,000 seniors participated in agewell programs and services across both locations, providing vaccination clinics, daily hot meals, educational programs, caregiver support, medical screenings and our very own virtual senior academy.

Day and overnight campingjcc day and overnight camps are designed to promote self-esteem, encourage group skills and teamwork, foster trust and build Jewish identity. This fiscal year, more than 1,550 children and adolescents were engaged in jcc day and resident camps. The camp experience is also highly developmental and encompasses life skills education in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. These life skills take on new meaning as many former campers become part of our staff-in-training (sit), junior counselor, senior counselor, and unit head programs. Camp begins at age 2 (age 7 for overnight camp) and continues through age 16 with the staff-in-training program. While individual specialties are offered, the operating philosophy of jcc camping is communal and group oriented. Our operating philosophy is increasingly challenged by a specialty-oriented society and a competitive specialty camp environment. The unique features of each program are: 1) james & rachel (j&r) levinson day camp has grown from 125 campers in 1970 to nearly 350 children per session today. J&r programming focuses on school-age children interacting with the natural environment of a 100-acre wooded setting in monroeville. 2) early childhood camps at both jcc branches cater to 2 to 5-year-olds. 3) performing arts camps for older children from both squirrel hill and south hills culminates in a musical theater production. 4) south hills day camp provides a generalist camp experience for school age children, with sports camp experiences for older children. 5) emma Kaufmann camp (ekc) outside of morgantown, west Virginia, now in its 115th year, offers two- three- and four-week overnight camp sessions as well as one-week first experience opportunities for children to be away from home in a protected environment. Inclusion opportunities for children with development disabilities are an integral element of our day and resident camping programs, with new program elements added annually. Our current focus is expanding offerings to the increasing neurodiverse population.