Summer's Cool at NPES!

While kids celebrate the end of the school year, the arrival of summer break can be stressful for parents, whether it's organizing child care or navigating a new, kid-filled schedule. That's where Summer's Cool comes in. North Park's three-week program fills the gap between the end of school and the start of summer camps and other commitments, making the transition to summer easier and less stressful for families.

Here's how it works: School's Cool runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (with before and after care options available). Mondays and Fridays are spent both local parks and North Park Elementary, with kids participating in fun activities like arts and crafts, magic shows and water games, while Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are for field trip adventures. “We do three field trips a week to different places around the city, and [the destinations] change every year,” says Katie Ekstrom, who has been heading up the Summer's Cool program for the last three years. This year will feature visits to the Brookfield Zoo, Funtopia, the Shedd Aquarium, a mini-golf course and more.

While the activities might be different from a typical school day, the staff is made up of familiar faces: Ekstrom runs the program with a team of North Park teachers, with the ratio of teachers to students ranging from 1:6 to 1:10, depending on the day's activities.

The program is open to students going into 1st grade through 9th grade (there's a separate junior Summer's Cool program for pre-schoolers), and older students often serve as junior counselors. “They help to run stations and bring lunches or sand toys to the beach or balls to the park,” Ekstrom says. And there's no long-term commitment, as parents can sign kids up by the day (though there's a discounted rate for week-long registration).

According to Ekstrom, the program benefits students in several ways. “We spent a lot of time outside, which is important for getting kids away from screens,” she says. “And because not everyone comes to camp, to it forces kids to hang out with kids outside their class. Even the older kids have a kindergarten buddy that they play with.” She adds that this is in addition to other skills kids develop from play, such as using their imaginations, navigating social interactions, sharing, and exercising choice.

“They feel safe here. It's a community.” She adds. “Parents like it because it gives them something to do, and kids like it because they can be with their friends.”