Home	The Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center 350 South Dahlia St. Denver CO, 80246 (303) 399-2660

Families

About

JCC Restructuring

The Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center has created a new organizational structure for its programs to better meet needs of parents and children from birth to 5 years. Previously, programs for this populace rested in three departments. If someone wanted information about a program or class, they may have had to call three people. The new paradigm will provide families with an abundance of new and improved services: one-stop shopping, seamless service delivery, easier access, faster information and an expanded array of services. 

The JCC Early Childhood Center, Shalom Baby, Shalom Family, PJ Library, and all childcare and youth programs are now in the newly created department known as Early Education and Family Services.

“We want to look beyond  the needs of the children—particularly in the Early Childhood Center,” says Caron Blanke, who has been promoted to director of Early Education and Family Services as part of the reorganization.

We want families to know that when they enroll their children in our early childhood center, they are enrolling their whole family into the services we provide.

The staff expects to become more knowledgeable about services offered for these families with young children -- and plans to serve their needs more effectively, Blanke adds.To do so, Beth Berger has advanced to family programs director and will supervise the Shalom Baby, Shalom Family and PJ Library programs.  According to Blanke,

We value the role that families play at the JCC and want them to know this.

Illustrating trends in the early childhood field, the early education and family services staff intends to link what happens in the classroom and other JCC programs, to what happens at home and vice-versa. In this scenario parents will be partners in their children’s learning experience and also will develop friendships, learn about developmental milestones, participate in quality Jewish early childhood education and discover how to get the most from their association with the JCC.

Similar priorities mark a community initiative spearheaded by Colorado Agency for Jewish Education, Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado and Rose Community Foundation. Consultants from the early childhood department of the JCC Association have helped the early education and family services staff here develop this new model for delivery of early childhood services.