Welcoming • Community • Respect
Inclusion at The JCC means welcoming all, regardless of age, faith, ethnicity, need or ability. This belief helps make us a strong and supportive community and upholds the values of welcoming guests, kindness, respect, and communal responsibility. Individual differences are to be celebrated and can only further enrich The JCC community.
Part of our family of early childhood education programs, JumpStart is a therapeutic early childhood classroom experience for 2-year-olds with special needs. The JumpStart classroom follows the pattern of a typical nursery school classroom, offering invaluable social and educational experiences in a group setting.
Hand in Hand (Yad B'Yad)
Hand in Hand (Yad B’Yad) is a division of Day Camps@The J, offering a unique summer experience for rising Pre-K – 8th graders with a variety of needs including, but not limited to, communication and learning differences, ADD/ADHD, social anxiety, sensory motor integration challenges, and those on the spectrum. The mission of this program is to improve each child’s ability to develop positive relationships and make social connections in his or her community and with peers, as well as create a fun inclusionary summer experience!
Inclusion Programming
Additional inclusion programming at The J offers specialized therapies, playgroups, seminars, and opportunities developed to help bridge the gap for children with disabilities.
We encourage those with special needs to participate in various programs, whether within our traditional classes, or in our specialized programs.
Middle School & High School/Young Adult
R&R is an active social program that meets during the academic year. We meet at the JCC to participate in activities together -- such as cooking, seeing theater performances, varied sports events, pool parties, volunteering, and much more -- which are not only fun but also enhance team-building skills. The social groups provide youths with a structured and safe environment to develop their social skills and build relationships. Click here to register.
Ages 3 - 10
Messy play is a key component to develop children’s fine and gross motor and coordination skills. Through the children’s 7 senses we will explore different ways to help them learn and grow. We will be creating and working with different textures and materials each week. Click here to register.
JumpSTARs is a family support program to promote well-being and create a family support network for parents, caregivers, relatives, and siblings of individuals of all ages who are impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities.
JumpSTARs provides a series of activities each month that are educational, recreational and social. Events will be free and open to the public on a first come basis depending on venue capacity.
Hannah Goldstone
Director of Inclusion
My name is Hannah Goldstone and I am the Director of Inclusion. I received my bachelors of science degree in health sciences, with a minor in special education, at James Madison University. I work with JumpStart, our therapeutic early childhood classroom for two-year-olds with special needs, and also work with children on the autism spectrum and their families.
Laura Martinez
Assistant Director, Inclusion
My name is Laura Martinez. I received a B.S. in Psychology from Stony Brook University and have worked within early childhood education for the last 11 years, with over 4 of those with special needs in the public school system. I enjoy working with children of all abilities and have spent much of my time in the last few years working with non-verbal elementary aged children.
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