Camp is the biggest registration moment of the year for most Illinois parents. Park districts and libraries open summer registration in February or March, and the popular weeks at popular sites fill within hours. Two patterns to know: full-day camps (typically 9-3, with optional before/after care) at park district recreation centers, and specialty camps (sports, arts, STEM) that run as week-long focused programs. Pricing usually has a resident vs non-resident split; living inside the district line saves 20-40%. If your kid is on the younger side (4-5), look for half-day camp options at parks and libraries; full-day camp tends to assume school-age kids. Reading the camp page carefully is worth the time — supervision ratios, lunch policy, and water-day frequency vary widely.
Leisure Center, Room 111 · Des Plaines, IL
Sep 11 – May 14
FR 13:00–16:00
Chippewa Soccer Fields · Des Plaines, IL
Apr 9 – May 28
TH 17:30–18:30
Chippewa Soccer Fields · Des Plaines, IL
Apr 9 – May 28
TH 18:30–19:30
Leisure Center · Des Plaines, IL
Apr 28
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Leisure Center, Room 108 · Des Plaines, IL
May 26 – Jun 11
TU, WE, TH 09:00–12:00
Leisure Center, Room 109 · Des Plaines, IL
May 26 – Jun 11
TU, WE, TH 09:00–12:00
Leisure Center, Room 109 · Des Plaines, IL
May 26 – Jun 11
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Leisure Center, Room 108 · Des Plaines, IL
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MO, FR 09:00–12:00
Lake Park Marina · Des Plaines, IL
Jun 1 – Jun 5
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Arndt Park Fieldhouse · Des Plaines, IL
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MO, TU, WE, TH, FR 07:00–18:00
Prairie Lakes Community Center · Des Plaines, IL
Jun 8 – Jun 12
MO, TU, WE, TH, FR 07:00–18:00
Lakeview Center Basement · Des Plaines, IL
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Prairie Lakes · Des Plaines, IL
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Prairie Lakes · Des Plaines, IL
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MO, TU, WE, TH, FR 09:00–15:00
West Park Fieldhouse · Des Plaines, IL
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Golf Center · Des Plaines, IL
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Prairie Lakes · Des Plaines, IL
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Prairie Lakes · Des Plaines, IL
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Prairie Lakes, Theater · Des Plaines, IL
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MO, TU, WE, TH, FR 09:00–15:00
Lake Park Memorial Pavilion · Des Plaines, IL
Jul 2
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Willows Academy, Gym · Des Plaines, IL
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MO, TU, WE, TH, FR 09:00–12:00
Willows Academy, Gym · Des Plaines, IL
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Most Illinois park districts open registration in February or March for the following summer. Popular weeks at the most-known camps fill within days, sometimes hours. Library reading-camp programs often open later (April-May) and rarely fill up.
Half-day options often start at age 3-4. Full-day camp generally assumes age 5+ (kindergarten readiness). Specialty camps (sports, science, art) usually have their own age minimums published, often age 6 or 7.
Most park districts charge resident vs non-resident rates. Resident is typically 20-40% cheaper. Boundary lines aren't always intuitive — your zip code may be served by an unexpected district, so worth checking before assuming non-resident.
Two questions to ask: supervision ratio (counselor:camper) and what's the daily structure. Programs that publish their daily schedule and ratios upfront are usually the well-run ones. Camps that don't publish either tend to be improvised on the day.
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