Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA) helps more than 12,000 children and their families every year. We work with those who need us most, from children who have been neglected or abused, to immigrant Jewish families facing life in a new country. Our clients come to us because they struggle with poverty, abuse and family crises and because they are without hope for the future. JCCA is consistently rated at the highest levels for the quality of our programs. In all our work, we are motivated by tikkun olam, the Jewish mandate to repair the world, and by our belief that every child deserves to grow up hopeful.
Bukharian Teens Join Israeli Day Parade
 The Bukharian Teen Lounge youth proudly hold up their banner.
On a beautiful sunny day, youth from Jewish Child Care Association’s Bukharian Teen Lounge marched with the Bukharian Jewish Congress delegation in the Israeli Day Parade in Manhattan, joining thousands of people celebrating 60 years of Israel’s independence. According to Assistant Coordinator, Ira Dounn, “It was a great feeling to join with so many others in solidarity to show our love and support for the state of Israel. ” JCCA’s Teen Lounge participants are high school-aged Bukharian Jewish immigrants who emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Queens. The youth meet after school to socialize, become involved with Jewish tradition and activities, and participate in life skills workshops, work internship programs, and field trips.
Compass Teens on Stage
 The performers in Compass Project's Theater for Action, dressed in dramatic black, sing "Moving a Rock," which they composed themselves. On Sunday, June 9, teens from JCCA’s Compass Project teamed up with award-winning Theater for Action, a therapeutic, interactive theater program, for a wonderful stage performance. Youth from the Compass Project, a program for high school and Jewish college students with learning disabilities and who are on the Autistic Spectrum, participated in weekly rehearsals incorporating game playing, storytelling, movement, visual art, creative writing, and drama. The goal of Theater for Action is to enhance critically needed social and communication skills and develop self-reliance. During rehearsals, participants wrote about their personal history, spoke of their dreams and hopes for an independent and productive life, and made many friends. The show, held at the Hillwood Art Museum on Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus, culminated in an original song, “Moving a Rock,” composed by the youth. Audience members, made up of friends and family, were moved and inspired by the performance.
Child Abuse Alert
In recent months the media has focused a lot of attention on child abuse, but in actuality, this is an ever present problem that is never far from the surface. Jewish Child Care Association wants to let you know that if you suspect that if a child is being abused and you don’t know what to do, we have an excellent resource for you. Child Abuse Alert is a resource for when we are not sure, but have a “feeling” that something inappropriate is happening. Is a child kept out of sight? Does he wear long sleeves in the summer to cover injuries? Is the parent or caretaker unnecessarily harsh or extreme in disciplining child? These are just some of the questions the booklet suggests we ask when we are concerned.
The Child Abuse Alert is a free 16 page booklet designed to help you recognized some of the signs that a child is a risk and it will give you the confidence to act. You can read it online here. If you would like us to mail you a free copy, call 212-425-3333 or click here. |
Shoes for growing feet...new learning games and school books...even scholarship funds: Visit our new eStore to see what your generous support for the JCCA can do.
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Stories from Growing Up, Winter 2007
 Featured VideoClick here for a 3-minute video visit with some of the kids and families who tell the JCCA story from their point of view. |
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On Thursday, June 12, JCCA celebrated the amazing contributions of our foster parents with an appreciation cruise on the Spirit of New York. It was a beautiful, warm evening as the ship set sail from Chelsea Piers and cruised around Manhattan with more than 300 people on board. Awards and certificates were given in recognition of the very hard work our foster parents do with their families every day. Dancing, dinner, and raffle prizes rounded out the evening. One foster parent explained, “This cruise is extra special to us. It really makes us feel appreciated and we know that we have support from JCCA. The good conversation and being able to share stories makes the night fun for us all.”
