Apachi Northside

Friendship requests

Apachi is a welcoming and inclusive environment, where all campers are encouraged to try something new and make new friends! Although not required, campers may submit friendship requests in the Spring, and we will do our best to accommodate at least one request if campers are entering the same grade (Trailblazers, campers entering grades 5th-7th, may request each other since groups may be mixed based on enrollment). Explorers are all gender groups. Pioneers and Trailblazers can request either single gender or all-gender groups.

Our program encourages all campers to explore and try a little bit of everything! We offer a range of activities including swim lessons, GaGa, foursquare, crafts & creative arts, sports & backyard games, dance, yoga, gymnastics, music, team building and much more!

For Juniors and Explorers, artists-in-residence visit weekly to expose younger campers to exciting experiences and teach new skills through magic, juggling, percussion, dance and other activities. For Pioneers and Trailblazers, they choose specialties to hone their skills or pursue new interests in sports, adventure, or creative arts. Everyone comes together for daily opening assemblies, Shabbat celebrations, cookouts, theme days, family nights, as well as our own fantastic carnival, Apachi Olympic Madness, and themed Maccabi Color War games.

American Red Cross Swim Program

Campers are taught to swim at Apachi Northside using the American Red Cross’ Learn-to-Swim program, which focuses on building skills one step at a time. By giving campers the opportunity to master one element before moving on to the next, it makes it easy to build confidence in the water. Safety is our priority and all members of our Aquatics staff are American Red Cross certified lifeguards with CPR training for the professional rescuer.

Testing, Placement and Progress Reports

Campers are tested at the beginning of summer and placed in an appropriate swim level based on their skills. They pass through levels based on both formal and informal testing. They’re also tested for endurance and water safety. Swim levels are sent home at the beginning of your camper’s session and progress reports are shared at the end of each session.

Car Drop-Off and Pick Up

Our convenient carpool line helps your camper get to their group easily and speed you on your way. Just enter the lot towards the south end of the building and follow the path around to the drop off areas in front of the building. A staff member will come to your car rain or shine to help your child out of their seat. You’ll get to see your camper with a smiling counselor by their side and you never even have to get out of your car. At pick up time, just use the carpool line again. We will bring your child to you, buckle them in, and you will be on your way.

Optional One-Way or Round-Trip Bus

For an additional fee, families can select to have their children take the bus to and from camp. Buses are driven by licensed, professional drivers and supervised by Apachi staff. Campers are required to wear seatbelts at all times. We have bus routes from several neighborhoods on the city’s North side. Our bus stops are “cluster stops” for groups of campers, not individual stops. We try to make the cluster stops convenient for families as well as safe and efficient.

View our proposed bus stop map.

Food

We provide pizza lunch on Tuesdays and a hotdog cookout on Fridays. Gluten free and/or dairy free pizza and vegetarian hot dogs are available upon request. For all other days, please send your camper with a small, sack lunch that we will refrigerate. A morning snack and afternoon frozen treat are also provided by camp daily.

Food allergies

Safety and inclusion are top priorities at Apachi Day Camps. Our camps are committed to being allergy-safe. While our camps are not allergen-free, we strive to make our camp environments as safe as possible for children with food allergies using a customized approach and working closely with each family to develop an action plan for the child. More information can be found here.

Immunizations & Health Forms

For each child enrolled in JCC Chicago Day Camp programming, the parent (or legal guardian) must provide a current immunization record appropriate for the child’s age and a health form signed by the child’s physician or health department representative prior to the first day of the program.

If a child’s physical condition prevents them from receiving one or more required immunizations, the examining physician (DO, MD), advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant responsible for the performance of the health examination shall endorse that fact upon the health examination form. JCC Chicago reserves the right to follow-up with the medical provider for further clarification and to determine whether an exemption will be granted.

Camper Care

Our Community Care team, made up of mental health professionals and special education teachers, ensure the ever-evolving social emotional needs of our campers are met so they can be successful at camp.

For campers needing extra support, there are a couple support options available to ensure a successful summer. You can choose from support through JCC Chicago or Keshet, depending on which option works best for your camper and family. For more information, please connect with Laura Brown, Inclusion Manager.