Cheers to Community!

The sun was smiling on Ellis at our first Cheers to Community event at The Haven on June 11^th. This gathering brought together old and new friends of Ellis to celebrate our Jamaica Plain (JP) community and nourish our connections. From the heartfelt remarks of JP Center Coordinator Issam Heredia-Bitar and Ellis dad and Trustee Brendan Fogarty to the warm plates of delicious food and the perfect spring weather, every moment was a reminder of why Ellis matters.

Ellis Jamaica Plain opened in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ellis CEO Lauren Cook recalls passing a promising property every day on her way to our South End headquarters. One day, she saw not just a building, but an opportunity. She recognized the need for high-quality childcare in JP and knew that this space offered the perfect chance to meet that need. With the help of some extraordinary supporters of Ellis, Lauren and the Ellis team went to work securing the lease and planning renovations to create a space that would become Ellis’s new JP home. In six weeks, we raised $600,000 to bring this dream to life.

Since then, we’ve been proud to serve JP’s children and families, but we haven’t yet had the chance to formally introduce ourselves to the broader neighborhood community. The Cheers to Community event was a crucial opportunity to do just that, and to share our mission: providing all children with access to high-quality early education that nurtures their social, emotional, and academic development.

Our wonderful guest speakers, Brendan and Issam, shared their experiences at Ellis and what the school means to them. As a member of our Board of Trustees and an Ellis dad, Brendan spoke passionately about the importance of having an integrated, diverse student body and how this model has created something both rare and precious: a place where every family feels it belongs. Issam followed with his moving reflections on what Ellis meant to him, not just as an educator, but as a person shaped by the relationships and daily interactions within our classrooms. Listening to both speakers, it was clear that the heart of Ellis lies in the incredible families that make us more than just a school, but a home.

We are grateful to those who attended this event and to everyone in our community who makes Ellis JP so special. Cheers to Community reflects what’s possible when a community comes together with a shared purpose and passion. As we look ahead, we're excited to keep strengthening our connections in JP. For both long-time supporters and those discovering Ellis for the first time, we see this is as the beginning of a long-lasting friendship!