Apachi Northside

Friendship requests

Campers can submit friendship requests in the spring, and we will do our best to accommodate mutual requests as long as campers are entering the same grade. For Explorer 1 and older, campers have the opportunity to request either same gender or all-gender groups.

Our program encourages campers to explore and try a little bit everything. Artists-in-residence visit weekly to expose campers to exciting experiences and teach new skills through magic, juggling, percussion, dance and other activities. At Apachi Northside, sports is non-competitive with a philosophy of fun and “play for the sake of play.” Everyone comes together for Shabbat celebrations, cookouts, theme days, field trips, parent nights, as well as our own fantastic carnival and Olympic themed Maccabi 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, 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. Progress reports are sent home during the summer with a summary of skills your child is working on and those already mastered.

Drop-Off

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 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.

For campers registered prior to April 15, you will select your bus stop from a list. Campers who register after April 15, will be assigned to a stop close to their home.

View our proposed bus stop map.

Food

We provide pizza lunch on Wednesdays and a hotdog cookout on Fridays as well as a daily snack. For the remainder of the week, please send along a sack lunch that we’ll refrigerate.

Food allergies

Safety and inclusion are top priorities at JCC Chicago 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

To participate in camp, campers must have a completed health form signed by a physician on file. We also require documentation of immunizations.