With both Districts 203 and 204 now back to full-time in-person learning, area students are adjusting back to a normal academic schedule. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is hoping to help with that by incorporating more social and emotional learning into its 2021 Summer Camp programs. The organization made a similar effort this spring.
“As always, summer camp at the YMCA will be fun but it will look a little different this year, as will school in the fall,” said Senior Vice President of Operations Jill Doerner. “What we are aiming to do is help parents get their kids ready for school. The goal of our in-person day camps and overnight camps is to provide a fun experience for our campers, while also easing kids back into a peer learning environment to make sure that they become familiar with the safety measures they’ll see when school starts.”
What Camp Will Look Like
Campers will be organized into pods of up to 10 as part of the Y’s health and safety guidelines. Campers will also be asked to wear masks, wash hands frequently, participate in daily temperature screenings, and social distance to their best ability. While at camp, there will be programming to focus on physical activity, skill-building, play, and reflection.
There will be three types of camps offered this summer: in-person day camps that focus on special interests like art, sports, and science; overnight camps in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan; and online camps for those who don’t want to participate in-person just yet. Overnight camps focus on outdoor learning with things like kayaking, archery, and fishing. Online campers will learn about cooking, coding, and other experiential activities.
Where to Register
Naperville’s Fry Family YMCA and YMCA Safe ‘n Sound are both offering camp options this year. You can find details for each on the YMCA website.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
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