After School at the J
Open to Grades K – 7 in Scotch Plains and Westfield schools
Let’s make 2026-27 the best year yet!
Registration for the 2026-27 School Year Opens Soon!
Wednesday, April 15 at 10:00 a.m. – All members
Monday, August 3 – Deadline for any changes to After School at the J enrollment without penalty
What’s New?
4:30pm is now 4:45pm dismissal!
This additional time will provide more meaningful opportunities for your children, especially fun, game and free-play time with friends to feel a true sense of belonging!
We heard you! The later dismissal time will enable families to benefit from a smoother, more streamlined pick-up experience. All 4:45pm children will also be picked up in one location together for easy wayfinding.
Children will be grouped by grade and friend requests, not by dismissal time:
Each age group will be together until 4:45pm for group play and free time with their friends!
Here’s the schedule for children enrolled in the 6pm dismissal program
The same daily balance as always with even more choices: time with friends, active play and homework support.
After games and free play until 4:45pm, children in the 6pm program will have expanded elective offerings to choose from.
Homework support will remain a daily option.
Enhanced Jewish Life programming in addition to our warm, welcoming community at the JCC
Regular Shabbat and holiday celebrations.
Enriching Jewish and Israeli experiences woven into the week.
How can I customize my child’s schedule?
3, 4, and 5 day registration options for After School at the J.
Hebrew School bus transportation options for CBI and Temple Emanuel.
Brand new and favorite enrichment offerings that your child can enjoy for an additional fee – they will be taken to their enrichment program from their group.
Transportation available to aquatics, martial arts and theater programs.
Sample Schedule
3:10 – 3:45 p.m. – School dismissal, travel to JCC via school bus, snack time at the JCC
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Free play (group games, crafts, board games, karaoke)
4:30 – 4:45 p.m. – Dismissal for 4:45 p.m. children
4:30 – 5:00 p.m. – Homework and snack time for 6:00pm dismissal children
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Electives (options rotate seasonally) include Israeli culture, themed trivia, sports, free gym, arts + crafts, STEM activities, life-sized games, creative movement, cooking, gaga, jewelry making, Pokemon, drawing tutorials, group games, obstacle courses, and more!
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – One optional free swim per week for all 6:00pm dismissal children
Plus! Special events including holiday events throughout the school year!
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.
2026-27 Programs and Rates
Students must have youth/teen or family membership
Rates based on 10-month school year
*Fee is in lieu of paying for Wednesday After School
**Fee is in addition to paying for Thursday After School
| PROGRAM | # OF DAYS | MONTHLY COST |
| 4:45pm Dismissal | 3 | $360 |
| 4:45pm Dismissal | 4 | $370 |
| 4:45pm Dismissal | 5 | $390 |
| 6:00pm Dismissal | 3 | $615 |
| 6:00pm Dismissal | 4 | $680 |
| 6:00pm Dismissal | 5 | $715 |
| CBI Hebrew School Bus* | Wed | $80 |
| Temple Emanu-El Hebrew School Bus** | Thurs | $65 |
New Application Process
New this year, you will be filling out an application for the 2026-27 school year rather than registering for a specific program. A binding $200 deposit is charged at the time of application.
The application form includes:
- All registration information including your child’s school
- Your After School at the J program choice (days and dismissal time)
- Your child’s friend requests
Once you complete the form on April 8, we will confirm your child’s spot by email within 48 hours; if we are unable to confirm the spot, we will notify you of your waitlist status.
Spots will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability within each grade level and each school’s bus. Once your child’s spot is granted, the $200 deposit is non-refundable, and we will officially register your child for the selected After School at the J program.
A five-child minimum per school is required in order to secure a bus route. If your child’s school does not have enough applicants, you will be notified that this is the reason your child is on a waitlist.
On May 1, if your child is still waitlisted, your $200 application deposit will be refunded to your payment method. If your child is granted a spot from the waitlist after May 1, the deposit will be due at that time.
After School 2025-26 Calendar – 2026-27 Coming!
Required Forms
After School at the J 2025-26 Guidebook – 2026-27 coming!
2026-27 School Year Change/Cancellation Policy
The following are deadlines for submitting enrollment changes for After School at the J
- August 3 – Deadline for changes effective September 1 – October 31
- October 19 – Deadline for changes effective November 1 – December 31
- December 14 – Deadline for changes effective January 1 – March 31
- March 15 – Deadline for changes effective April 1 – end of June
Changes include
Hebrew School transportation cancellations
Updates to the number of days per week a child attends
The days which a child is scheduled to attend
Additional Policies
- Cancellations can be requested for any month but must be submitted at least 10 business days before the first day of the upcoming month.
- Changes and cancellations submitted after the deadlines above will incur an $80 late change fee.
- Requests to switch between 4:45pm and 6:00pm dismissal times may be submitted at any time, subject to availability. Approved changes will take effect on the first day of the following month.