A child’s school-age years are filled with many different lessons and experiences, including the challenges of peer acceptance and positive socialization. While many students attend elementary school together for years, children in foster care have the added burden of coming into a school or social setting as the “new kid,” a label that is hard to overcome for many children with poor self-esteem and trauma history. Making the transition from elementary school to middle school or junior high can be stressful, especially for foster children. The National Education Association offers ways that students and parents can successfully manage this transition.

Paris recently joined our team 10 months ago as a Foster Care Case Manager.  She has worked in other related fields where she saw kids with special needs misrepresented and underserved and decided to make a career change to better support children and teens. 

Music education can have a profound impact on children--educationally, creatively and therapeutically. For trauma-affected children, the foster home environment can be the perfect place to nurture a love of music and reap the benefits just stated. Here are some suggestions to make that happen.

Confusion about marijuana is no surprise.  The medical use of cannabis is legal (with a doctor's recommendation) in 31 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.  Eight states have legalized recreational marijuana use in the United States.  With the advent of legalization, attitudes about marijuana have changed dramatically in the U.S.

Caitlin and Christopher have been licensed JCFS Chicago foster parents for about a year.  They welcomed their foster son (now age 10 months) into their home 7 months ago.  They want to give a “shout out” to their case manager, Jenna, of whom they are big fans!  They also really appreciate the other JCFS Chicago foster parents they have met who have been “wonderful, dedicated, and gracious.”

Here is more from Caitlin and Christopher.

With speech and language disorders ranking among the most common disabilities in children, parents and caregivers are encouraged to learn the signs—and seek an evaluation—if they have concerns about their child’s ability to communicate. JCFS Chicago’s speech-language pathologists can offer timely guidance for families because May is recognized nationally as Better Hearing & Speech Month.

We are very saddened to share the news of the death of former director of the Virginia Frank Child Development Center, Judith Bertacchi. Judy passed away on Friday, April 12.

Addiction and addiction recovery are realities in our community; they always have been and likely will be into the near future.  Until recently many people in the Jewish community denied that addiction was a Jewish issue.  Now there is a much greater recognition of how addiction challenges our own.  However, many Jewish families still express deep feelings of isolation when confronting addiction in themselves or their loved ones.

There are so many ways, large and small, that each of us can support Jewish families struggling with active addiction or in recovery, to bring them out of isolation and into the loving support our community offers.  Here are some ideas:

Through play, children develop motor coordination, social skills, emotional regulation, as well as learn how to process the sensory input in their environment.  The occupational therapists at JCFS Chicago’s Integrated Pediatric Therapies and Therapeutic Day School make sure each child has fun at work!

“Next year, may we be free.”  - Passover Haggadah

The holiday of Passover, “the season of our liberation,” celebrates the departure of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. This is a central theme of the Passover Seder, a festive meal replete with symbolism and song.