What is the J-Ticket?

The J-Ticket program is designed to initiate, maintain and grow Akron Jewish families’ engagement in the community. The J-Ticket significantly reduces tuition for the Mandel Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at the Shaw JCC or The Lippman School and provides 2 weeks at Shaw JCC traditional day camp or the Mandel ECE Summer Playhouse. It also includes membership at a participating synagogue and a family membership at the Shaw JCC.  The program is made possible by a generous grant from the Albert L. and Janet A. Schultz Endowment for Jewish Programming and is administered by JewishAkron.

How does the J-Ticket work?

A Jewish family submits an application and pays the fee for the desired J-Ticket, then the participating agencies and synagogues involved are paid a predetermined amount per J-Ticket by JewishAkron.

Unless you are applying for the Akron J-Ticket, admission to the Mandel ECE or The Lippman School is a pre-requisite to acceptance in the J-Ticket program.  Please confirm enrollment before applying for the J-Ticket. For the 2025-26 school year, all eligible applicants will be accepted (provided they identify as a Jewish household, and for the Akron J-Ticket, one adult must be 40 years of age or younger.)

How can I buy a J-Ticket?

Completed applications should be submitted to the e-mail address listed in the program description. The J-Ticket is open to all Jewish families, regardless of financial need. J-Tickets can be purchased by the participants themselves or by other family members on behalf of the J-Ticket applicant family.  Payments may be made in full to the JCBA (JewishAkron), or payments can be arranged through The Lippman School, the Mandel ECE, or through JewishAkron for the Akron J-Ticket.

Can I purchase more than one J-Ticket?

Families may purchase one J-Ticket for The Lippman School and one J-Ticket for the Mandel ECE for a total of two J-Tickets. No family may have two J-Tickets in the same program. A separate application is required for each J-Ticket. The cost of the second J-Ticket is only the cost of tuition at The Lippman School or Mandel ECE. Please be sure to make payment arrangements at both agencies. 

Application Submission

The application for the following school year is available on the JewishAkron (JCBA) website in the spring of each year. The application for 2025-26 will be available as of 5/12/2025 on the JewishAkron website. (If you are already a J-Ticket family or a new student on the Schultz Campus, you may also receive an application via e-mail.)
 

Please submit the application electronically to the e-mail address indicated on the application for the ticket you want to purchase.

Applications should be submitted prior to the beginning of the school year (early September), but later applications will be accepted for the Lippman School and ECE J-Tickets.
 

The deadline for Akron J-Tickets is September 6, 2025.

The cost of Lippman School and ECE J-Tickets is 100% of the J-Ticket price for applications submitted April 2024 through October 31, 2025, and 80% of full cost for applications submitted in November and December 2025. 
 

No J-Ticket applications for the 2025-26 school year will be accepted after December 31, 2025.  

J-Ticket Program: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions