Parent Guide - Summer

We have the profound responsibility and incredible opportunity to help build great qualities in kids. Campers will participate in fun and engaging enrichment activities to supplement their learning and develop skills to further their social, emotional, and personal growth.

Campers will participate in spirit days, fun activities, and engaging themed weeks while forming long-lasting friendships! All activities will be facilitated by our staff, who are made up of teachers and youth development professionals dedicated to providing campers with a fantastic summer experience. Our dedicated staff participates in extensive training before the summer starts, including First Aid, AED, and CPR certification through the American Red Cross. This program is a license-exempt childcare center through the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) of Illinois and is not regulated by DCFS.

There is a general expectation that youth participating in Expanded Learning programs follow the same rules of conduct as written in the East Maine School District 63 Student Handbook and contribute to a safe and positive environment in the program. This expectation & any resulting consequences extend to all individuals on campus - parents/guardians/grownups/interns/staff/volunteers.

In addition, participants will be expected to follow any & all safety protocols implemented this year in our programs.

If a participant is unable to meet these expectations and/or contribute to the program in a safe and positive manner by posing a safety risk to themselves or others, the parents/guardians of the child will be contacted, and the child will have to go home. Please have a plan to pick up your child within 20 minutes of a phone call. If the behavior is consistently unsafe and poses a safety risk to the child or others, the decision may be made that this program isn't best suited for the individual. The determination of whether or not a child is able to remain in the program is at the discretion of the Director. 

All campers attending Expanded Learning Summer Camp programs must be potty trained.

Expanded learning programs are committed to the following values: accountability, caring, peacefulness, leadership, respect, and responsibility. The expectation is that all individuals on campus strive to demonstrate these values in their words and actions.

Campers can bring their own breakfast (before 8:45 a.m.), lunches, and snacks to the Family Resource Center. If you send your child with lunch from home, please ensure they can open containers/packages independently. We have lunch or breakfast in our cafeteria for anyone wanting one. All lunches & breakfasts are free for all campers. 

July Breakfast Menu

Lunch is at 11:30 a.m. Please send them to camp with snacks - campers are very active throughout the day and will have snack time in the morning & afternoon.

July Lunch Menu

Snack Time is at 10:15 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. We do not have snacks for campers; please send snacks for your child(ren). 

Additional snacks will be provided for campers staying in aftercare.

Please send each day to camp.

Campers should plan to bring a backpack with a reusable water bottle, lunch (optional), snacks, towel, change of clothes, and swimsuit to camp each day. Campers will have a designated locker and can store extra clothes, a towel, and a swimsuit when they don't use it, in order to limit the number of things they carry back and forth.

Towels and swimsuits may only be needed on waterplay days unless otherwise requested by the group leader.

Please send sunscreen with your camper(s) every day. We recommend putting sunscreen on your children before they come to camp and sending a stick for the camper's face and a spray sunscreen for their body to camp for easy application.

If you need assistance securing any of these supplies due to financial hardship, please call our office at 847.827.4137 and speak with Flora Modh, our Parent and Community Liaison.

• Pioneers (K) | Jellyfish
• Explorers (1) | Yellow Shrimp
• Navigators (2) | Octopus
• Trailblazers (3) | Seahorse
• Pathfinders (4) | Frog
• Transformers (5) | Crab
• Middle School (6-8) | Innovators | Turtle

Field trips this summer will be for campers in grades K-8. We typically leave the FRC by 9:30 a.m. and plan to return at 4 p.m. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, there is always a chance that we will arrive past our planned time.

Safeway Transportation Service Corporation and First Student, Inc. will provide transportation for trips; some off-site trips will be walking trips.

If you send a lunch from home on field trip days, please pack your child's lunch in disposable packaging.

Programs will be adjusted to incorporate any safety procedures recommended by governing agencies or field trip destinations.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, field trip destinations may change without notice. Though we try to stick to the plan, some situations may require us to pivot from the initial plan.

All participants and their grownups understand that field trips are a privilege. All participants must be able to demonstrate the behavior and safety expectations of our program. At a minimum, participants must be able to follow directions, stay with their group, and keep their hands to themselves in order to participate in field trips.  Should the director feel a child's participation in an off-site trip would pose a safety risk to the child or others, they may suspend the privilege of attending off-site field trips. The parent or guardian will be responsible for finding alternative care for the child.

We ask that all campers arrive at camp not experiencing any cold/flu/COVID symptoms over the past 24 hours without medication. If your child is ill, the nurse may contact you and ask that you pick them up immediately.

Please do not bring your child to the program if they have had a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting in the past 24 hours.  If your child is sick, they will be sent home. Please have a plan to pick up your child(ren) within 20 minutes of receiving a phone call.

If your child is unable to come to camp for any reason, please call our office at 847.827.4137 or email expandedlearning@emsd63.org to inform us. If their absence is for medical reasons, the nurse will reach out to you during the course of the day.

All participants must have all of their paperwork completed. This includes but is not limited to all participant and parent/guardian information, program selection, any and all applicable releases, health history, immunization records, and terms & conditions.

A 10% deposit must be made against the balance of selected camp programs in addition to completing all required forms for the office to enroll your child into the program. We cannot guarantee a spot in the program if registration is incomplete.

ARRIVAL PROCEDURES 
Before 8:45 a.m. parents/guardians should park and walk their child in through door number 1B and sign their camper into the program.

Starting at 8:45 a.m. and until 9:05 a.m., parents/guardians should line up in the car lane, as shown in the picture above, and wait for a staff member to greet them. A staff member will greet the parent/guardian and check in with you and your camper(s). If your child is too young to clip themselves into their car seat/seatbelt, you are welcome to exit your vehicle to help them; we ask that you pull up as far as possible so as not to stall the cars behind you. 

The camper will walk to the playground to enjoy outdoor play, and at 9:05 a.m., we will round up everyone to begin our day with an All Camp meeting! In the event of a rainy day, campers will go to the gym to begin their day.

If a camper is dropped off prior to 8:45 a.m. and they are not registered for Before Care, they will automatically be enrolled in Before Care for that morning and fees will apply.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Dismissal begins at 4:00 p.m. If you need to pick up your child before 4 p.m., park your car in a parking space and walk into door #1. 
Do not leave your car parked in the pickup line, and do not block the bus lane before 4 p.m. on field trip days, as some field trips are not scheduled to return until 4 p.m.

Campers will go outside with their group leaders to a designated location (see image above). Please follow the pickup guidelines and procedures to ensure a smooth and safe dismissal. We will have staff directing traffic, and we ask that all parents/guardians/grownups review our procedures and follow the rules we have in place as well as conduct themselves appropriately in accordance with our District policies. 

Parents will enter the pickup line as shown and drive to their child's respective group to sign them out with their group leaders, giving parents/guardians a chance to have some face time with their child's group leaders.  I - Innovators,  T - Transformers,  Pio - Pioneers, Trail - Trailblazers, P - Pathfinders, E - Explorers, & N - Navigators. Whenever picking up a camper, we ask that parents stay in their vehicles. If your child is too young to clip themselves into their car seat/seatbelt, you are welcome to exit your vehicle to help them. 

Staff may verify the identification of adult(s) picking up the camper(s) by checking their ID against our records until they are confident and comfortable, so allow the extra time to accommodate this safety practice. We will be using the PIN system this summer to check out participants. Please check your EZChildTrack Account to view your unique pin number. Each authorized pick-up has a unique pin number. Please be sure to have that ready and communicate with anyone whom you plan to be able to pick up your child. At 4:15 p.m., any camper who has not yet been picked up and is not registered for After Care will be signed into After Care for the day, and fees will apply. 

Pick Up for Aftercare: When parents/guardians arrive to pick up their camper(s) from aftercare, we ask that you park in a parking space and come in through door #1. If pick-up is at the playground, a message on the message board will instruct you to go to the playground. 

For a full refund, a parent/guardian must provide written notification to Expanded Learning a minimum of two full weeks before the start of the week to be canceled. For example, if a family wants to cancel the first week, June 4-7, the office must receive written notification by 4 p.m. on Friday, May 17. 

All refunds are processed through our Business Services Department and may take up to six weeks.