J Blog

The Merfish Teen Center at 9000 S. Rice is currently serving as a COVID-19 testing site Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (or while testing supplies last).

The mouth swab test is FREE and available to everyone - no appointment necessary.

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these challenging times. We wanted to provide you with an important update regarding our facilities and programs. When we reopened on June 1, few could have imagined the magnitude of the health crisis we are now experiencing in Houston.

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

We hope that this note finds you and your family safe and healthy. The month of June has created many new and unexpected challenges for us all as we continue to search for ways to navigate our new reality which changes daily. As we have reopened our facilities throughout the month, we have been unsure about what to expect. Our Medical Advisory Group has been evaluating our protocols on a daily basis so that we are able to continue to provide you and your family as safe and healthy of a J experience as possible.

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

The safety and well-being of our community remains our first priority, and we appreciate our continued partnership with you to ensure a healthy and safe environment. With continued reports of a higher than desired amount of positive COVID-19 cases in Harris County, we must all stay vigilant.  

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

We are happy to announce that beginning Saturday, June 20, the J will offer weekend family recreational swim times. In order to participate, a reservation must be made ahead of time. Reservations are available beginning Thursday, June 18.

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

On behalf of the entire J staff and Board of Trustees, I hope that you and your family continue to be safe and healthy. We continue to see increased participation at the outdoor pool, tennis and fitness centers and look forward to seeing you soon. This week, for the first time since March 13, children and their parents were on the campus to meet and greet their teachers at the Bertha Alyce Early Childhood School. Our staff are looking forward to reopening our Early Childhood programs in West Houston and Bertha Alyce, along with gymnastics, tennis and our new Summer Fun at the J program. 

Health & Safety Guidelines 
Health Survey 

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we implement our plans to reopen the J. We have had a successful first week of operations in fitness, tennis and aquatics, and we are now prepared to implement our next phase.

We are thrilled to share with you that effective Monday, June 15, we will reopen the Bertha Alyce School, Ellen Boniuk School in West Houston, Summer Fun at the J and Merfish Teen Center, and expand the use of the gymnastics facilities. Specific program details and our health and safety protocols for BAS, West Houston, Gymnastics and Summer Fun will be emailed later this week to all program participants.

On behalf of the entire J staff and board of trustees, we look forward to reopening the fitness and tennis centers and outdoor pool this Sunday, May 31. So much has changed since we closed on March 16, and it is essential that you take the time to review a number of critically important documents to maximize everyone’s health and safety. 

As we plan to reopen the J, the health, safety and well-being of our members and staff continues to be our first priority. Our hearts are guided by our values of caring for those we serve, combined with the need to keep you healthy so we can all connect as a community more quickly.

After reviewing information, data, guidelines and recommendations provided by national, state and local leaders, healthcare providers and scientists, we have developed a plan for reopening in the safest way possible. We also recognize the need to be flexible, as information continues to change daily. We are eager to open again, as we have missed seeing all of you, yet meeting our community’s most critical needs takes priority over any other driving force.