For the last two summers my older daughter has gone to Kiddie Kamp at the YMCA. For the most part, we've had a really good experience there. Kiddie Kamp is a bit different than the camp for kids 6 years and older (the older kids go every day for a full day, go on field trips, have swimming a couple days a week, and participate in a talent show unlike the younger kids) so this review is exclusively for Kiddie Kamp. Kiddie Kamp is offered either Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. The first year my daughter was in camp she did two days a week and then this summer she went three days a week. You are allowed to sign up for as many or as few weeks as you want and the camp is offered for the duration of the CPS summer break. We like the flexibility of being able to choose what weeks we go so that we can go on vacation or have family come visit and take off a week or two of camp without having to pay for it. Kiddie Kamp is for kids ages 3-5.
Besides the flexibility, one of the other things I really like about Kiddie Kamp is the swimming. Regardless of whether they are in the two day or three day program, campers go swimming in the Y's indoor pool for about an hour every week. Half of the swimming time is open play and the other half is a lesson. Children are not expected to have any experience in the pool - beginner's are OK. Everyone is required to wear a swim belt regardless of skill level. The camp staff takes some pride in their ability to encourage kids who are scared of the water to get in and swim. During swim time all of the camp staff is required to be in the pool. In addition, there are two swim instructors and two lifeguards. The staff to camper ratio is 1 to 6 and I think the maximum number of kids they can have in a camp at a time is 30.
Every week has a theme. Examples of themes are Moovin and Groovin, the Great Outdoors, Super Soakin Showdown, and Lend a Hand. Based on these themes camp counselors create daily activities. For the Super Soakin theme they had extended outdoor time and played a bunch of water games, for Lend a Hand week they talked about helping others and wrote letters to troops overseas, and they learned some new songs and dances and made musical instruments for Moovin and Groovin week. I think they keep a lot of the themes the same from year to year but it did seem like this year there were a few different ones than last year.
The overall schedule that they follow every day includes circle time, story time with a story based on the theme of the week, outdoor time (they have a playground only for campers use), snack time with a brought from home snack, arts and crafts, songs, and journal writing. My daughter came home with her journal, which they are encouraged to write in at least once a week, on her last day of camp and it was so cute. A newsletter is put out every week that gives a summary of the previous week and brief description of what will be coming up that week.
Camp Counselors are generally college students and they are overseen by an older adult who is generally in the education field. Both years my daughter found a counselor that she really, really liked and talked about constantly. Although I was a little disappointed to see that almost all of the counselors for Kiddie Kamp were new this year. In the older camps it seems like they have the same counselors year after year, which provides good consistancy for the kids.
Registration begins in March and at the time of registration a $25 per week of camp deposit is required. Just like all other activities at the Y, you get a discount if you are a member of the Y. For the past two years the cost was $70 for members/$90 for nonmembers per week for the M/W/F camp and $50 for members/$70 for nonmembers per week for the Tu/Th camp. I know at some YMCAs (Lakeview location in particular) you need to get there before the facility opens for the day and wait in line to get your kid into camp while at other Ys you can still get into camp in the middle of the summer. The rest of the camp fee is due the Wednesday before camp every week but you can pay in full for all the weeks your kid will attend up front when you register. You are also required to attend a mandatory parent orientation before the camp starts.
The benefits of the camp, for us, was the flexibility, ability to go swimming, the fact that it was only half day, and all the positive experiences my daughter had with the counselors and other campers. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that they are pretty serious about their rules such as what kind of shoes campers can wear, sign in/sign out procedure, and what you need to bring to camp each day, so if you would prefer a more laid back camp this is not it. Also they charge you if you are late picking up your child. It really wasn't an issue for us and in some ways it is good to know what the expectations are.
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