Inclusion

We believe that every Jewish teenager has a right to an appropriate Jewish education. Towards that end, over the last decade, the JCHS Special Needs Program has been a national leader among supplementary Hebrew High Schools in providing formal Jewish education for teenagers and young adults with special needs. JCHS is the only school of its kind with a full-time Director of Special Needs.

We have developed a program for the inclusion of students with mild social, learning and physical challenges in JCHS classes. The class curriculum and teaching strategies are modified when warranted to meet individual needs and learning styles. We work together as a team with parents, students and teachers to make sure that each student is provided with what he/she needs to make JCHS a meaningful educational experience. Our school counselor is pro-active in providing the students and their teachers with additional support.

The Atid Program

ATID (Advocacy, Transitions, Involvement, Development) is an intergenerational mitzvah program for all teens.  It includes a strong service component, working in a residential life care facility with the Jewish elderly.  This program is also within the framework of an inclusion program with other teens with special needs.  Together with the elders we celebrate holidays participate together in art projects, cooking and other interactive programs.  The activity is followed by an hour of reflection upon this intergenerational experience.  Doing service is something that will really work towards strengthening the self-esteem of all of the teens. It also provides an opportunity for the students to learn more about how the teachings of Judaism in general can be applied to helping others in need.

Program For Adults

Our Adult Program includes Hebrew, Jewish history, Bible, Pirke Avot, literature, music, arts and crafts as well as Mitzvah projects. A Cooking Class offers not only cooking, but preparation for the holidays, Shabbat and life skills for the Jewish home. There are occasional out-of-school trips to Jewish sites in Philadelphia and New York.

At Elwyn Inc. in Media, the Jewish residents meet with JCHS students participating in the intergenerational component of the Service Learning Institute. They help to provide Jewish programs for the residents, as well as opportunities for socialization. The Special Needs Program also brings Jewish studies to the residents of Inglis House every week.

The Ann Newman Building on the Mandell Education Campus is wheelchair-accessible, including classrooms, auditorium and stage.

Special Needs programs are made possible through individual donations, private foundations and corporate donations as well as grants from the following:

• Eddie Pritzker Special Needs Education Fund
• Helen J. and Harry Hans Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund,
• Ethel and Leonard Landau Foundation
• Gratz College,
• Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
• Federation Endowment Corporation