Click here to download the Parent Info (pdf)
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 www.cprwiz.com,
If you are seeking a staff position, please click here:
Location
Camp is located at the Dawes Elementary School, 440 Dodge Ave., Evanston 60202, at the southwest corner of Dodge and Oakton.
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 23, 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 help reduce traffic congestion by carpooling or utilizing camp-provided transportation. If you are not utilizing camp-provided transportation, please fill out the Pickup Information Form completely and accurately, and give it to your child’s Division Head at the Orientation. 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. Please use the entrance into camp’s wing of the building, which is on the south side of the
building.
Please park in the parking lot on the east (Dodge) side of the building, in the parking lot on the north (Oakton) side of the building, curbside on the east side of Dodge, or curbside on the north side of Oakton. Curbside parking on the west side of Dodge is reserved for parents using Option Two.
Dropping off your Camper Option Two
Alternatively, we can greet your child at your car. To take advantage of this service, please park on the west side of Dodge in front of the building.
Please pull up as close as you can to the crosswalk south of the building at Kirk St. 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.
During drop-off time, we are reserving the parking lane curbside on the west side of Dodge for parents utilizing this service.
To enter the drop-off line, from Oakton St., turn right/south on Dodge, and pull into the drop-off line.
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, you may park curbside on Dodge. 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 Dawes School entrance.
Dismissal:
At dismissal time, campers will be waiting in the fenced-in area on the south side of the building. If it is raining, campers will be waiting inside the door by that area.
Picking Up your Camper Option One
Please park in the parking lot on the east (Dodge) side of the building, in the parking lot on the north (Oakton) side of the building, curbside on the east side of Dodge, or curbside on the north side of Oakton, and walk over to where we are waiting. Curbside parking on the west side of Dodge is reserved for parents using Option Two.
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.
During pick-up time, we are reserving the parking lane curbside on the west side of Dodge for parents utilizing this service. To enter the pick-up line, from Oakton St., turn right/south on Dodge, and pull up as close as you can to the crosswalk south of the building at Kirk St.
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 crossing Dodge, cross at the Stop sign only. When crossing Oakton, cross at the traffic light only.
• 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. 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. Water is served throughout the day.
Lunches
You can purchase catered lunches for your child, by prior arrangement only, for 2, 3 or 5 days per week. Click here to see the menu for 2024.
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.
