For some children, simply getting through the school day is a struggle. This is especially true at the beginning of the school year, when students are putting a lot of emotional effort into remaining regulated during the school day as they learn new routines, meet new teachers and classmates, and get used to new spaces.

As one of the pillars outlined in the agency’s Strategic Plan, Catalyze reflects our commitment to accelerating impact by transforming how our services are delivered. By leveraging our partnerships with organizations such as the JCC, The Ark, Keshet, and CJE SeniorLife (CJE), JCFS Chicago has expanded its reach, strengthened community connections, and better met the needs of those we serve.

The following examples highlight just a few of the many ways JCFS works with community partners to expand access to services and enhance support for people of all ages and abilities.

As a parent or caregiver, this scene may seem all too familiar. You’re traveling to visit family during the holiday season, or getting the house ready for guests to arrive, when your toddler has a temper tantrum. Tantrums occur when children are trying to get something they want or need. 

Connections: A Relationship-Based Phase Model is a just-published manual for early childhood professionals—those who run preschools, Head Start programs and other activities for pre-schoolers  aged 2‒6 years old—promoting social and emotional health in young children.

The book is a product of the Virginia Frank Child Development Center (VFCDC) , a program of JCFS Chicago that operates a therapeutic preschool, trains early childhood professionals and consults with schools and organizations that engage pre-schoolers. All of its authors—Joni Crounse, MA, M.Ed, Kathy Ham, LCSW, Joanne Kestenbaum, LCSW, Wendy Guyer, MA, LCSW, Linnet Mendez, LCPC and Laura Sheridan, MA, LCSW—work at the Center and helped to develop the “relationship based phase model.”