The J recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its renovated after-school rooms, which opened in time for this summer’s J Camp.
The space, which had last been updated nearly 25 years ago, will allow for more diverse programming for school-aged children. The project began in January of 2024 with the demolition of the old space.
The unveiling ceremony was held during a recent J board meeting, with previous J Board Chair Diane Azorsky cutting the ribbon as current Board Chair Michael Novicoff and President and CEO of The J Jim Sluyter held the ribbon on either side.
“We are incredibly excited to see the completion of our re-imagined ASK space,” Novicoff said. “It is amazing to see how this will positively impact the kids and their families. Our hope is that this new and improved area will continue to foster friendships for many years to come.”
“We are so proud of the whole variety of programming we have for our school-aged kids and are excited to now provide a fun, updated environment for our campers and for our kids who spend their afternoons at The J during the school year,” Azorsky said.
The new space includes a more welcoming reception area for parents when they arrive to pick up their kids; new, more comfortable seating options; new electronics for kids to engage with; a better kitchen space for STEM and cooking activities; and remodeled bathroom facilities.
“It’s brighter, airier and more flexible for the programming that we’re doing,” said DD Gass, director of camps and school-age services at The J.
Gass noted that the main reason the renovation took place was to create more space that was flexible for the program’s day-to-day needs. The space is used in the summer for J Camp and throughout the year for vacation days and after-school care. The space will ultimately have collapsible walls that can create one large space or divide the area into three smaller rooms.
“We are so appreciative of [Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy] and the other agencies in the building for allowing us to use their spaces as we were making progress in our own,” Gass said. “We’re so proud of our after-school rooms and the welcoming environment they have created for our programs.”
