The Boulder JCC’s preschool will mark an extraordinary milestone next month as it commemorates four decades of nurturing young minds in our community. What began with just six children has flourished into a vibrant educational center serving over 100 students—a testament to its enduring value and educational excellence. We hope that former students, parents, teachers, administrators, or anyone connected to the school in any way will join us at the JCC on Sunday, September 14, from 10 am to 1 pm to celebrate this incredible milestone.

This remarkable journey has woven the preschool deeply into the fabric of Boulder’s families, creating multi-generational connections that speak to its profound impact. We’ve witnessed former students return as dedicated educators and have celebrated cherished traditions, such as Shabbat Sing, with three generations of families participating together.

Before the Boulder JCC existed, there was the Boulder JCC Preschool. What began in 1984 as a humble satellite program of the Denver JCC, with just six children meeting three mornings a week, has blossomed into the vibrant Jay and Rose Phillips Early Childhood Center, which now nurtures hundreds of Boulder families.

The story begins with a visionary first director, Jen Feldman, who planted the seeds for what would become a cornerstone of Boulder’s Jewish community. Those seeds took root in shared space at Congregation Har HaShem, where the school’s earliest traditions were born.

In 1994, dedicated educator Julie Shaffer stepped in as co-director and catalyzed a transformation. Recognizing the preschool’s potential to serve as the heart of a larger community center, this leader rallied community members to envision something bigger. This grassroots effort would eventually lead to the creation of the Boulder JCC itself—a case of the child nurturing the parent.

The school’s journey through physical spaces mirrors its growth: from borrowed rooms to a cozy house on Glenwood Avenue in 1996 with three classrooms, to the first dedicated Boulder JCC building on Kalmia Avenue in 2000, and finally to its current home on Oreg Avenue in2016, where it expanded to ten classrooms serving infants through five-year-olds, and was renamed the Jay and Rose Phillips Early Childhood Center.

But the heart of this story lies in the cherished traditions that have connected generations. The beloved “Shabbat Sing” started in 1993 by Judi Moroshok, when the school grew to three classrooms, and continues to this day, as do children making uniquely shaped challah from scratch.

Today’s Jay and Rose Phillips Early Childhood Center continues to innovate while honoring its roots. Two Forest School classrooms spend most of their days outdoors year-round, and studio teachers integrate the arts and the JCC’s Milk and Honey Farm into daily experiences. These approaches, which would have seemed revolutionary in 1984, align perfectly with the school’s commitment to holistic education.

Perhaps most significantly, the preschool has fostered countless lifelong friendships among both children and adults over four decades—connections that have strengthened the fabric of Boulder’s Jewish community and beyond.