Kids Connection | Jewish Community Center | Shalom Austin

KIDS CONNECTION

Kids Connection Logo
5-days-a-week options  |  3-days-a-week options  |  Grades K-5

JCC Family Membership required to participate.

After-school care demands continue to shift and change, and we recognize each family has their own specific needs. What hasn’t changed is parents wanting the freedom to finish their workday with peace of mind, knowing that their children are in a safe environment and are having fun. Enter, Kids Connection!

Kids Connection is dedicated to ensuring your child continues to have all the recreational, social, and cultural activities available to them in a supportive environment year-round. Whether you’ve joined us at JCamps each summer, taken ballet classes with Ballet Austin or gymnastics with Kim’s Gym, or participated in any of our other enrichment offerings, we’re honored that you entrust your children to us, and we are committed to continuing to create that safe and secure and fun environment.

 

Kids Connection Boys Soccer
Kids Connection Indoor Crafts
Why PARENTS love Kids Connection?
  • Quiet(er) work environment for parents who work remotely 
  • Fully licensed child-care center 
  • Trained staff 
  • Dedicated homework help 
  • Screen-free!  
  • Social emotional learning 
  • Prioritized health and safety including healthy snacks and high security standards 
  • Judaic cultural enrichment (Shabbat, holidays, traditions) 
  • Community connectedness both locally and globally 
        Why KIDS love Kids Connection?
        • Friendship! See friends you know and make new ones too 
        • Group games and planned activities 
        • Free play time  
        • Yummy Snacks
        • Arts & Crafts 
        • STEAM 
        • Non-stop fun! 

           

          Kids Connection Girl Crown
          Kids Connection Gym Hockey

          Tuition Fees | 2024-2025 School Year

          Tuition for the entire school year of Kids Connection has been split into 9 equal monthly payments for your convenience and are not based upon the number of days in each month.

          The first day of Kids Connection will be September 3, 2024

          AREAS COVERED

          Radius 1: Doss, Hill
          Radius 2: Highland Park, Magellan (Capital of Texas Highway)
          Radius 3: Laurel Mountain, Davis
          Austin Jewish Academy/Parent Drop Off 

          Registration Fee: $100 per child

          Sibling discount: 10% off each additional sibling

          5 Days-A-Week Option

          Radius 1         $595
          Radius 2         $643
          Radius 3         $732
          AJA/PDO         $500

          3 Days-A-Week Option

          Radius 1         $471 (limited spots available) 
          Radius 2         $515 (limited spots available)
          Radius 3         $589 (limited spots available)
          AJA/PDO         $411

          Enrichment Pass | 2024-2025 School Year

          If your child(ren) attends Doss Elementary or the Austin Jewish Academy and does enrichment at the DJCC, you may qualify for the Kids Connection Enrichment Pass! With the Enrichment Pass, your child(ren) will be picked up from school by Kids Connection staff, given a healthy kosher snack, and will be escorted to their enrichment class at the DJCC. 

          We are offering passes for classes that begin at 4:00, 4:30, and 5:00 PM.  

          The registration fee for this service is $10 per child per semester. 

          You will be charged in full for the semester at the time of enrollment. 

          You are required to pick up your child(ren) from their enrichment at the end of class.  

          Enrichment Pass participants are only eligible to register for one day per week.

          Enrichment Pass Prices (per class/per day)

           

          4:00 PM 4:30 PM 5:00 PM
          AJA $12 $15 $18
          Doss $20 $22 $25

          The first day of Kids Connection will be September 3, 2024.

          Priority Registration for current Kids Connection and ECP families is OPEN!
          Community Registration will open May 6, 2024

          After School Outdoor Soccer

          It Doesn’t Stop at Kids Connection! 

          This is just your first stop in our amazing collection of  enrichment offerings that Dell JCC has available on campus.  From ballet to gymnastics to youth sports, there’s a place for your child(ren) here after school! 

          FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

          Will Kids Connection transport my children to Enrichment classes at the DJCC or Hebrew school on campus?

          Yes. Kids Connection will safely walk your child(ren) to other on-campus activities that begin between 4:00pm and 5:50pm 

          What if the van from my child’s school is full and I am placed on a waitlist?

          If transportation from your child’s school is full, you can stay on a wait list and/or sign up for Kids Connection as Parent Drop-Off instead of school pick-up.  

          What are the pick-up times for Kids Connection?

          You can pick up your child at 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, or 5:50pm. 

          What do children eat at Kids Connection?

          Children are provided a healthy snack each day as a part of Kids Connection. Snack options include: fruit, granola bars, applesauce, crackers, yogurt, Challah, & more! 

          Can I pick the days for the 3-day per week option?

          Yes, you can choose any three weekdays for the 3-day program if there is space in the program. Changes to the schedule can be made by the month and are subject to availability. 

          Are there programs available on days wHEN school is closed?

          Yes! Kids Connection is guided by the AISD school calendar. On days when AISD schools are closed, the Youth & Teen Department will be running JCamps Days Off. Head to the Break Camps page to learn more!

          What do children do at Kids Connection?

          Every day at Kids Connection follows the same structure, with different activity choices. Children are provided a healthy, kosher snack, and can choose from a variety of counselor-led activities. Every day ends with outdoor free play. 

          Sample Schedule: 

          2:45 PM – Kids Connection Staff begin to arrive at schools 
          3:45 PM – Kids Connection children are checked in and begin snack time 
          3:50 PM – Snack and Homework/Chill Time
          4:00 PM – Activity Stations begin 
          4:30 PM – Pick Up 1, Activity Stations continue 
          5:00 PM – Pick Up 2, transition outside for Outdoor Play 
          5:30 PM – Pick Up 3
          5:50 PM – Final Pick Up 

          What is the Enrichment Pass?

          Kids Connection offers an “Enrichment Pass” option to AJA and Doss families looking for transportation to enrichment classes offered at the DJCC. If you are signed up for the Enrichment Pass, your child(ren) will be provided with snacks and transportation to their on-campus enrichment class. Children in the Enrichment Pass program should be picked up by parents directly from the enrichment class. 

          You may only purchase one Enrichment Pass Day per child per semester. 

          Financial Assistance

          Financial Aid

          We believe everyone should have access to participate in our community, regardless of financial need. Awards of financial assistance are made possible for community members by generous contributions to the Shalom Austin Annual Campaign. Financial aid is distributed based on availability of funds and eligibility of your household. If you would like to learn more about financial aid, please reach out to us at financialaid@shalomaustin.org.

          Caroline Mellow

          Caroline Mellow

          Youth & Teen Manager

          CONTACT US