Press Release

Media Contact: John Bourget
phone: 860.231.6350
email: jbourget@mandelljcc.org

WEST HARTFORD RESIDENT RECEIVES EARLY CHILDCARE CREDENTIAL
MANDELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER EMPLOYEE

WEST HARTFORD, CONN., May 16, 2008- Rhonda Wirth, of West Hartford has received the Connecticut Directors' Credential for directors of early care and educational programs from Charter Oak State College. Ms. Wirth is the Co-Director of the Mandell JCC's Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center.

The credential acknowledges that, as a professional working in the early care field, Ms. Wirth has obtained knowledge, experience and competency in the core areas of knowledge for Directors. This is especially important as parents continue to seek quality education and care for their children, it is increasingly critical that school leaders truly possess and demonstrate the necessary skills required for their positions.

Ms. Wirth has been the Co-Director of the Early Childhood Center at the Mandell JCC since 2001. She began her career at the Mandell JCC in 1984 as Teen Director and moved to the preschool department in 1985. She resides in West Hartford with her husband Richard and two sons.

About the MANDELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER
The Mandell JCC is a community and cultural center that offers a full range of activities, classes, programs and special events for Jewish and non-Jewish people of all ages. The JCC's offerings include early child centers and afterschool programs, a summer camp, recreation and wellness facilities, health spas, an indoor pool, a swim and tennis club, an arts center and more. The JCC has a rich history that dates back more than 90 years with the founding of the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association in Hartford. In the early 1960s, the Center moved to its current site at 335 Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford where it has continued to expand and evolve into its current role as a significant community and family resource for the Greater Hartford area. The JCC also has childcare facilities in Simsbury and Glastonbury.