After School at the J

Please note that beginning in October your membership, Early Childhood and After School monthly payments will be drafted on the 1st of each month.

2025-26 Registration is open!

Limited availability...sign up today to secure your spot for the 2025-26 school year!

After School at the J is open to students in Scotch Plains and Westfield schools in Grades K – 7

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After School at the J is the right choice!

Our Commitment

After School at the J, for Kindergartners - 6th graders in the Scotch Plains/Fanwood and Westfield school districts, is more than just a place for your child’s after school hours. It’s a welcoming, safe and fun environment where children can make the most of their after school hours while connecting with friends and staff.

Our Staff

Engaging and friendly staff is core to our program. Our After School at the J staff is part of our larger JCC staff who are dedicated to children every day.

The Curriculum

After School at the J has a daily schedule of fun and exciting activities that change regularly as well as free play time for children to bond with their friends.

• There are also many after school activities offered to help your child unwind after a day at school and connect with friends. After School counselors lead a variety of activities and Specialists come to after school to teach the children a range of topics from art to sports to Zumba.
• Supervised homework is an option if your child chooses to do it at the JCC.
• All students can participate in hands-on STEM projects intended to spark interest, engagement, problem solving and teambuilding.
• Children can exercise their creativity with art projects using a wide variety of media.
• All students have access to the JCC facility which includes our indoor pool and gymnasium.
• All students who are at the JCC until 6:00 p.m. have one recreational swim/week at no extra cost.
• Children also have access to other resources at the JCC including a packed game closet, Legos, Nok hockey, building blocks, books, etc.
• The importance of the outdoors is one of our core early childhood philosophies so during the spring and fall, much of our after school time is spent outdoors on our campsite which includes gaga and basketball courts, and picnic tables for homework, snack time, art projects, etc.

The Details

• All children in the After School program ride via school bus to the JCC from school, included at After School at the J.
• All students are assigned to an age-appropriate group, who they participate in after school with for the school year.
• Each day includes a healthy snack at no extra cost.
• Choose the right days and hours for your family’s schedule. We offer flexibility in program days and pick up times on a month-to-month basis to accommodate extracurricular activity and work schedules.
• Parents have the option to sign their children up for enrichment programs, basketball leagues or swim lessons at the JCC. (These activities are not included in the tuition cost.)
• Our café is open until 7:00 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays for an easy eat-in or take-out dinner!

Registration Directions and Tips 

• An active membership is required at time of registration and throughout your child’s participation in After School. A minimum youth/teen membership is required.
• Click here to log into your JCC account.
• Search age group and pick-up time e.g., 1st grade, 2nd grade/4:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.
• You will need contact information (emergency contacts, authorized pick-ups, doctor information, allergies, etc.) at the time of registration.
• If for whatever reason you do not currently have a JCC account, we recommend you go to www.jccnj.org and create one prior to registration.
• Authorized pick-ups and emergency contacts should be individuals other than parents.
• The registration process will not continue without required information fields being completed.
• Please make sure your payment information is up-to-date as you will be charged the $200 nonrefundable deposit at the time of registration, if your registration is accepted. (If you are wait-listed, your deposit will not be taken at that time.) The deposit will be applied to September 2025 tuition.

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Need to Know 

• Rates are based on the 10-month school year.
• The After School at the J follows the Scotch Plains school calendar.
• All participants must be minimum youth/teen member.
• Students will be bussed to the JCC from Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Westfield public schools. The specific bus plan and routes will be contingent upon the number of children signed up from each school.
• The Hebrew school bus goes to CBI in Scotch Plains and Temple Emanu-El in Westfield based on their Hebrew school schedules.  Please note that spots are limited and are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
• A non-refundable $200 deposit will be applied to September tuition.

After School 2025-26 Calendar

DOWNLOADABLE CALENDAR 

After School at the J 2025-26 Guidebook

Aftercare Guidebook spreads 25-26

DOWNLOADABLE GUIDEBOOK

After School at the J Policies

Enrollment Change Deadlines - 2025-26 School Year

Please note the following deadlines for submitting enrollment changes for the After School program. Changes include updates to the number of days per week a child attends, the days which a child is scheduled to attend, Hebrew School transportation cancellations, and enrichment bridge additions or cancellations.

• August 18 – Deadline for changes effective September 4 – October 31
• October 13 – Deadline for changes effective November 1 – December 31
• December 15 – Deadline for changes effective January 1 – March 31
• March 16 – Deadline for changes effective April 1 – June 25

Additional Policies

After School Registration Cancellations:
Cancellations can be requested for any month but must be submitted at least 10 business days before the 1st day of the upcoming month.

Late Change Policy: Changes and cancellations submitted after the deadlines above will incur an $80 late change fee.

Dismissal Time Changes
Requests to switch between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. dismissal times may be submitted at any time, subject to availability. Approved changes will take effect on the 1st day of the following month.

Required Forms

Information to Parents  Guidebook and Agreement Acknowledgement

Emergency Treatment Form  Parent Activity Statement

Protecting Children from Child Abuse

At the JCC of Central NJ our Mission is to educate, enrich and empower our community- from generation to generation. The safety of children is the utmost priority at the JCC. Child Abuse Prevention takes an entire community and the JCC stands with our community, as our vision states. In our community, with our community, for our community.

The following is in place for all programs at our JCC that serve children. These protocols ensure that we protect your children while in our care, protect our staff and protect the JCC.

• Criminal background, sex offender registry and reference checks are conducted on all staff prior to hiring.
• Staff must agree and sign our Child Abuse Prevention Code of Conduct which remains in their employee file.
• Staff are required to complete online Child Abuse Prevention training prior to their 1st day of work.
• Staff are annually trained on Child Abuse Prevention.
• All guests and vendors are screened when visiting the JCC through the Nationwide Sex Offender Database.
• In order to protect the staff, volunteers, and program participants – at no time during a program may a staff person be alone with a single child where they cannot be observed by others. As staff supervise children, they should space themselves in a way that other staff can see them.
• As part of our Culture of Safety Engagement Plan, we have established protocols for screening volunteers at the JCC. As an agency that serves children, developmentally disabled, and the elderly, this is best practice as outlined by our Insurer.
• Volunteers are screened by the Program Director and referred to the Volunteer Coordinator to begin the volunteer screening process which includes, reference checks, national sex offender registry checks (ongoing), training, and supervision.
• Our Children’s Services programs adhere to all guidance (including staff supervision ratios) set forth by the Department of Children and Families (Early Childhood and Afterschool at the J) and the Youth Camp Safety Standards and American Camp Association Standards (Camp Yachad). The standards set forth by these guiding bodies inform our policies and procedures.

As designated mandated reporters, the director(s) of all Children’s Services programs are required to report any instance of suspected abuse whenever there is reasonable cause.