KIDS CONNECTION

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.

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!

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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 (Hill Waitlisted)
Radius 2 $643 (Highland Park Waitlisted)
Radius 3 $732
AJA/PDO $500

3 Days-A-Week Option

Radius 1 $471 (Doss Elementary only)
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.

Registration is OPEN!

New Account

Returning Families

Parent Handbook

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.

I knew going into Kids Connection that it would be an amazing community of people. Everyone on the team is amazing, and so is each and every child that joins Kids Connection. It’s been a blessing for me to see these kids grow together in friendships. Kids Connection is a creative, engaging and overall a fun environment. I get to go to work everyday surrounded by great people who truly care and enjoy what they do. Kids Connection is truly a family, and I am proud to be a part of it.

– Braxton Hardy

After our oldest went all the way through elementary school attending Kids Connection, we knew how fortunate we were to have found such a welcoming and wonderful place. We also knew that we couldn’t imagine sending our youngest anywhere else for his afterschool care, and we’re so happy with our decision! He comes home everyday – just like his big brother did – with songs, crafts, and stories about the friends he has there. The counselors are supportive, incredibly kind, and make sure that every kid feels like they have a place to belong. It’s all part of the culture that makes Kids Connection the kind of place we want our kids to be. This will be our 9th year as Kids Connection parents!

– Krista Ratcliff

Group of kids play basketball in the gym

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!

Learn More

JCamps staff and happy girl wearing sunglasses hold hands with outstretched arms

Join Our Staff!

There’s no better place to spend your time than working at Austin’s most exciting after school program! So why would you come work here aside from hanging out with some of Austin’s coolest kids?

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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.

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