Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake one of nine suburban YMCAs to offer in-person day camps this summer

The in-person day camp offered by the Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake plans to provide a traditional day camp experience while also preparing students who spent much of the past year in remote learning for full-time, in-person instruction in the fall, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago said in a news release.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is offering in-person day camps at nine suburban locations – including the Sage as well as Foglia YMCA in Lake Zurich, Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Hastings Lake YMCA in Lindenhurst and Buehler YMCA in Palatine – as well as six locations in Chicago, according to the release.

“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,” YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s senior vice president of operations, Jill Doerner, said in the release. “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.”

The day camps will be filled with organized educational and recreational activities that develop self-confidence, character and teamwork, and an array of specialty camps are available to choose from, including in the arts, science, and sports, according to the release.

Y camps follow recently modified health and safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local public health authorities, so campers this summer will be organized into “pods” of no more than 10, according to the release. Counselors will reinforce habits, such as mask-wearing, frequent hand washing, and social distancing.

Capacity at all in-person camps is limited in accordance with public health guidelines, a check-in process with temperature screenings is required of all campers and staff, and camp staff receive additional training on updated COVID-19 protocols.

Overnight camps – which were cancelled last year due to the pandemic – will be offered at Camp Duncan in Ingleside; Camp MacLean in Burlington, Wisconsin; Camp Nawakwa in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin; and Camp Pinewood in Twin Lake, Michigan.

Campers will get to try out outdoor activities like kayaking, fishing, archery, and hiking, according to the release.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is also offering online camps for families not quite ready for in-person activities, according to the release. The online camps have themes like cooking and coding and emphasize experiential learning.

For more information or to register, go to ymcachicago.org/summercamp or call Member Services at 773-905-5115.