Click here to download the Parent Info (pdf coming close to the summer) 

Staff

Junior Gan Israel Day Camp is staffed by a full complement of successful early childhood educators who have worked extensively with preschool-age children. Your child will receive individualized attention and care in a loving, Jewish environment. We are very proud of our Division Heads, each of whom is a dedicated and capable professional educator.

All of our Division Heads are certified in emergency health procedures. Certification is  provided by Titan CPR Associates, www.titancpr.us

If you are seeking a staff position, please click here:

Location

Junior Gan Israel is located at Middleton Elementary School, 8300 St. Louis Ave., Skokie, 60076.

Orientation

To help your child adjust to camp, there will be an Orientation Session which you can attend with your child. It will be held at camp, on Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 11:00 - noon. This will provide your child with the opportunity to get acquainted with our facilities and staff. We strongly encourage you to bring your child, even if he has been to camp before.

• Please bring your child without siblings so that he will gain the most from the Orientation.
• If your child has particular needs, or if there are any issues that call for in-depth discussion, please email or phone your child's Division Head. We want to talk with you, but during Orientation there will not be time for long conversations.
• If this is your child’s first experience in camp and the Sunday Orientation does not allow sufficient time to acclimate your child, please contact your child’s Division Head to schedule an additional session. At starting time on the first day of camp we ask all parents to please leave.
• If your child will be attending second session only, you are welcome to contact your child's Division Head to schedule a visit before your child's first day.

Carpooling & Camp-Provided Transportation:

Please fill out a Pickup Information Form for each camper, completely and accurately. Carpooling helps reduce traffic congestion at drop-off and pick-up. 

Camp-provided transportation to and from camp is available for a fee and by prior arrangement only.

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures

Arrival:

Please bring your child no earlier than 9:25 and no later than 9:40 each morning. We request that you not remain beyond 9:45.

Dropping off your Camper Option One
You are welcome to escort your child into the building and into his room. 

Dropping off your Camper Option Two
Alternatively, we can greet your child at your car. Pull up in the dropoff zone, take your child out of your car, and wait for a counselor to ask you for your child’s name and division name, and to escort your child into camp. We will have counselors standing by and ready to escort your child from your car 9:25 – 9:40.

Arriving at a Time that is Not Drop-off or Pick-up Time
If, for any reason, you arrive at a time that is not drop-off or pick-up time, phone us at 847-452-7770, and a staff person will greet you at the camp entrance and let you in. Please do not go to the main entrance.

 

Dismissal:

At dismissal time, campers will be waiting in a secure outdoor area. If it is raining, campers will be waiting inside the door by that area.

Picking Up your Camper Option One
Please park in the designated parking.

Picking Up your Camper Option Two
Alternatively, we can bring your child to your car. Be prepared to give the counselor who comes to your car your child’s name and division name. We will have counselors on hand to bring your child  to your car 11:55 – 12:05, 12:55 – 1:05, and 3:25 – 3:35.
 

Please Respect Traffic Rules including:

• Do not park where there is a No Parking sign.
• Do not double-park.
• Do not park more than a foot from the curb (or the bike lane).
• Do not exceed the speed limit of 25 MPH in the area.
• Do not make U turns.
• When parked curbside, children must enter and exit the car via the sidewalk side of the car only.

Your Child's Stuff
Please provide your child with the following:

1) Shoes that can be put on and taken off easily, preferably slip on or Velcro. No Crocs or flip flops are to be worn in camp, please.
2) Gym shoes (not sandals) when your Expanding Horizons camper is scheduled for Sports or Gymnastics.
3) A change of clothing in a zip-lock bag, labeled clearly with your child's name, to be left in camp.
4) A picture of your child to help identify his cubby.
5) If your child is not toilet trained - a package of diapers and a package of swim diapers, with your child's name on both packages.
6) Boys over the age of 3 are encouraged to wear kippot and tzitzit.
7) A coin for Tzedakah each day. Your child can have this in his pocket or taped to his shirt.Please bring to the Orientation all items that are to be left in camp so that everything will be ready for the first day.

Everything that your child brings to camp must be clearly and accurately labeled, e.g. kippot, hats, jackets, towels, bathing suits, etc. Please do not send any unnecessary or valuable items to camp, as things do get lost.
Please put waterproof sunscreen on your child before sending him to camp in the morning.

Swimming

Please provide your child with: a bathing suit, a towel or a terry cloth robe (but not both), and water socks (or water shoes or swim sandals).

Expanding Horizons campers need footwear that can be worn on the bus to Oakton Water Playground, in the water, and then on the bus back to camp. Flip flops, Crocs, and most sandals cannot be worn to the pool, as they do not stay on when the children go in the water, and are likely to get lost. If you want your child well covered while swimming, provide your child with a swim shirt or a full body swim suit (or swim dress), but not a cotton tee shirt. Please provide swim things and a back-pack that are clearly labeled, and easily recognized by your child.

Bright Beginnings campers need swim gear daily for water play at camp.

Expanding Horizons campers go to Oakton Water Playground for private swim time. In addition, Expanding Horizons campers enjoy our Water Wonderland at camp. The Expanding Horizons calendar tells you which days your camper needs swim gear at camp.

Snacks and Drinks

All campers are provided with morning snacks. Afternoon Enrichment campers receive afternoon snacks. It is not recommended to provide your child with a water bottle, as it is likely to get lost, and we serve water to the children throughout the day.

Lunches

You can purchase catered lunches for your child, by prior arrangement only, for 2, 3 or 5 days per week. 

Alternatively, please send lunches from home for your child. Please note: Food from home must be in a clearly labeled bag or lunch box. Send food that will remain fresh at room temperature. Food must be kosher. Please include bread in your child’s lunch. For most children, a sandwich and two other food items are sufficient. All children are served water at lunchtime.

Accommodating Children with Food Allergies

Our camp is a nut free zone. Please do not send your child to camp with foods that contain any kind of nuts, including peanut butter.

Mitzvah Notes

Feel free to send "Mitzvah Notes" to camp, so your child can be praised for the good things he does.

Birthday Celebrations

If you would wish to celebrate your child's birthday in camp, contact your child's Division Head.

Health

If your child is not feeling well, please do not bring your child to camp.
If your child has fever or has vomited, please allow 24 hours to pass before bringing your child back to camp.
Before bringing your child back to camp after any sickness, please ascertain that his condition is not contagious, and that he is well enough to enjoy camp.

Lice 

Campers are screened for lice on their first day of camp. You can avoid surprises and missing the first days of camp, by having your child checked in advance. Please contact Mrs. Zeesy Posner for the name of a qualified lice checker with whom you can schedule an appointment.
If you find that your child has nits or lice before or during the summer, it is imperative that you notify Mrs. Zeesy Posner immediately. More details on the camp’s lice policy is here .

 

Social Media and Privacy

Over the course of the summer, we post pictures and videos of camp in action on our website and social media  pages. Be sure to follow Facebook.com/JuniorGanIsrael, 
and Instagram.com/JuniorGanIsrael. We sometimes use images of campers in our promotional materials. Of course, no names are used.We post pictures and videos of campers on our website and on our Facebook page and use some images of campers in our promotional materials. No names are used. If you object to having your child’s image seen, please notify Mrs. Zeesy Posner.