EARLY CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, AND FAMILY

We are enrolling ages 18 months through 5 years for the 20232024 school year! Visit edcjcc.org/preschooladmissions to join the Admissions Pool List and sign up for either an in-person or virtual tour.

Sundays, April 2 and May 7, 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

These 25-minute experiences introduce songs, rhymes, and developmentally-appropriate movement to our youngest JFamily members! Come build a bond with your baby while meeting other caregivers. This program is meant for the baby to be in their caregiver’s lap with their grown-up actively involved. Best for children 0–18 months.

Sundays, April 2 and May 7, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Registration for summer session opens in late April

Join us for in-person weekday and Sunday fun for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (with their grownups) at the EDCJCC this June and July! Class options include music, yoga, ballet, gymnastics, and soccer. Learn more at edcjcc.org/totsclasses

Friday, April 21, 5:30 PM (IN-PERSON)

TOT SHABBAT IN THE LOT

WITH SPECIAL GUEST AUNTIE A

Join us for Tot Shabbat in the EDCJCC Parking Lot! This lively 30-minute Shabbat song session with Auntie A (from Rhythm ‘N’ Ruach) is geared toward children under six years old and their parents, grandparents, and caregivers. Together we will sing, dance, say the Shabbat blessings, and enjoy challah and snacks. Bring a blanket, and feel free to hang out and have a picnic dinner afterwards!

Is your little one on the move and no longer content to just sit on your lap and play? We are looking for some “grasshoppers” who like to wiggle, jiggle, and move! Join JFamily Ambassadors Tracy and Julie (from the Pozez JCC in NoVA) and Shoshana (from the EDCJCC) to get those wiggles out with music, stories, dancing, and more!

6 Thursdays, May 11 – June 15, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Pregnant for the first time? Looking to create a community with other expecting moms to exchange ideas and find support? This group will meet in-person weekly for six weeks to provide a safe and facilitated space for moms-to-be to discuss their experiences and learn from one another. We will explore several topics, including: concerns about childbirth and parenting; balancing family with work outside the home; navigating new relationships with your partner, parents, and in-laws; and recognizing post (and pre)-partum depression and anxiety.

Join us in person at 10:00 AM on the third Thursday of most months to gather with other new parents, and parents-tobe for coffee, company, and relaxed conversations on topics of interest to new parents. Bring your babies and your questions. Each month, we’ll spend most of our time talking through participants’ specific situations.

Thursday, May 18, 10:00 AM

Wednesday, May 17, 7:00 PM

Thinking about growing your family or looking for support after struggling to conceive? Join us for an informal discussion about different paths to family building. Our panel will include a fertility doctor, representatives from an adoption agency and the DC foster care system, lawyers who facilitates egg donor and gestational carrier agreements, and parents who have built families in a variety of ways. The program will consist of brief formal presentations from each of our panelists followed by lots of time in breakout rooms for more intimate conversations and questions.

LGBTQ and straight, couples and single parents, Jewish and non-Jewish — are all warmly welcomed. Come prepared to ask questions, get support, and connect with other people on the path to parenthood.

Co-presented by the EDCJCC’s Parenting Center & GLOE – the EDCJCC’s Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach and Engagement in partnership with the Jewish Fertility Foundation, Greater DC.

Tuesday, April 25, 8:00 PM

How does a child become a life-long reader? What can parents do to foster pre-literacy and early literacy skills? When and how should children be learning to read? Parents of preschoolers often find these questions very stressful, but they don’t have to be! Join early literacy expert Lynn Klaiman for a practical and reassuring virtual discussion about how to start and support your child on their journey towards a lifelong love of reading. Intended for parents of 0-5 year olds, but all are welcome.

Sarah Marks, founder and president of Nannies by Sarah, will discuss the pros and cons of different childcare options and the benefits of hiring a nanny, and will share strategies for hiring a nanny that meets your family’s needs.

Thursday, June 15, 10:00 AM

Khyati Desai-Seltzer of Vyana Infant Massage LLC will discuss the benefits of infant massage and demonstrate some massage strokes that you can use with your baby at home.

The EDCJCC is seeking school year and summer camp staff. Apply at edcjcc.org/camp

By Stephen Laughton

Directed by Johanna Gruenhut

June 7 – July 2, 2023

In this bittersweet, sophisticated, and quick-fire new British comedy about antisemitism, Jesse, a nice Jewish boy, falls in love with Alex, a nice mixed-race girl. The love between them is pure and absolute, but Jesse has never been able to shake off the vicious attack that changed him forever. Navigating any relationship is difficult enough, but what happens when you factor in politics and rising prejudice? This provocative play received a massive antisemitic response when the UK production opened in 2018; posters were defaced, and the writer received death threats.

Don’t miss the US premiere of this urgent and unflinching comedy, which pits the impact of hatred against the power of love.

“Moving… shows how race, gender, class, culture, and, perhaps most importantly, fear, impact on the characters’ lives” –The Stage