November is National Adoption Awareness month, a time to celebrate and support families formed through foster care and adoption. There's a good chance you are touched by adoption through family, friends, or in the broader community. How can you best support those navigating this lifelong journey? In more ways than you can imagine!  

Here are six things that those impacted by adoption would likely welcome:  

Parenting is rarely a solo act. We rely on carpools, group chats, and friends who drop off dinner and say, “You’ve got this.”

In Jewish life, we call that kehillah - community that shows up not just when things are easy, but when they’re real. For foster and adoptive families, that kind of support isn’t just nice to have, it’s necessary.

For Jewish students at the Knapp School & Yeshiva, having Hebrew instruction incorporated into their daily curriculum creates opportunities for social, emotional, academic and Jewish success.

As the school year winds down, many parents are preparing for the transition to summer camp and unstructured time in between. This is an ideal time to start reviewing with your child how to set and maintain personal boundaries in this new environment.

For Katie Seaman, it has always been about the kids. “Making sure that kids have someone to advocate for them,” she said.

When children attend preschool, many times it’s their first experience outside of the home. So, JCFS Integrated Pediatric Therapies (IPT) and JCC Chicago thought that preschools might need guidance to help to those who may have missed out on core developmental opportunities.

In honor of International Friendship Day, we want to highlight the importance of friendship in the role of personal and social development, as well as resources that JCFS Chicago offers to help children and teens build healthy connections.

"The more I’ve learned about the seasonal impact on mood, behavior and cognitive development, the more important I realize it is to incorporate purposeful movement into our kids’ days, especially in the winter," Jennie Marble, Director of Integrated  Pediatric Therapies shares.

Challenged with a generational gap, technological gaps, and screen time overload, grandparents nonetheless want to spend time with their precious grandchildren.  Here are some tips and tools that I think can help you be together while we’re limited doing so in person.

The Integrated Pediatric Therapists are busy helping families prepare for at home learning. From seating, creating an environment and increasing attention, these are our top tips to set your child up for success.