Please be sure to check the age requirements for the program before you register. The age requirements are established to ensure the program’s integrity and quality of each person’s experience. Proof of age may be required. Falsifying a participant’s age or birth date will result in removal from the course with no refund or transfer.
To help make our programs and facilities enjoyable for all, participants and members are expected to exhibit appropriate behavior at all times. It is required that all patrons adhere to our Behavior Management Policy. This includes but is not limited to showing respect to all patrons and staff, abstaining from the use of abusive or foul language, refraining from causing bodily harm to themselves or others, and respecting equipment, supplies, and facilities. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in permanent suspension of participation.
These guidelines have been developed to help make our programs safe and enjoyable for all. To learn more about our Behavior Management Procedure, contact 847.831.3810.
Information regarding participants enrolled in Park District programs is confidential. Staff will not release information to anyone not on your household account for your family’s safety.
As part of our ongoing goal to communicate with parents, the Park District has equipped directors with camp cell phones and emails. Peace of mind and the safety of your camper are only a phone call or email away!
Camp directors will be issued a cell phone and can be contacted if you need to leave a message for the camp staff or call in a sick child. Contact information will be provided in the parent manual. For general camp questions, please call our main office at 847.831.3810.
All emergency forms are submitted through ePACT, our registration system that collects and stores all medical and emergency information electronically.
In addition to great field trips around the metropolitan Chicago area, our camps incorporate a variety of enriching activities at our Park District facilities:
Hidden Creek AquaPark
Campers will attend open swim at Hidden Creek AquaPark throughout the summer.
Campers 2nd grade and under must remain in the zero-depth area regardless of skill level. Campers in grades K-2 receive swim lessons designed to instill safety techniques. Certified instructors teach our swim lessons.
Supplement camp swim lessons with additional swim lessons. Classes are offered at the Recreation Center; call 847.579.4051 for details.
Heller Nature Center
Hiking, geocaching, archery, or the teams course.
Rosewood Beach
Campers swim at Rosewood Beach throughout the summer. For camper safety, designated swim areas are assigned and supervised by certified lifeguards.
Highland Park Golf Learning Center
Miniature Golf
Golf
Centennial Ice Arena
Ice skating
Lincoln Elementary School
Gymnastics
Friendship Requests will no longer be available in 2023.
The Park District does not carry medical or accident insurance for camp program participants, as the cost would make program fees prohibitive. Please review your health insurance liability plan to be ensure that you and your family have the proper coverage.
Please note that we may need to change a camp location due to unforeseen building repairs and construction schedules.
In keeping with the Park District’s Green Initiative, all camp information will be sent through SeeSaw, an electronic communication platform.
Parent manuals for camps will be emailed to the primary email address in your registration account on May 31. These booklets contain all of the information you’ll need to know about camp, including lunch, field trips, swimming activities, camp clothes, hours, busing schedules, and more.
The Park District of Highland Park strives for quality and safety when designing and providing a maintenance program for your parks. Managing pests is only one aspect, yet an important one, of the overall management course. Our approach to controlling pests is termed IPM or Integrated Pest Management. IPM is a system utilizing a great deal of observation and multiple tactics for maintaining landscapes and controlling pests of turfgrass, ornamentals, and woodlands. By using IPM, we meet our objectives of maximizing cultural, biological, and environmental controls while minimizing chemical use. Occasionally, chemical means are necessary. When these are used on Park District grounds, notification is made through posting of signs in the area, as well as contacting residents, by phone or email, listed on our “turf care notification registry.” If you would like to be added to the notification registry, please call the Director of Parks at 847.579.3130.
For information on Refund Requests, click here.
Photos and video footage are periodically taken of people participating in District programs and activities. All persons registering for District programs/activities, Participants in District events, or using District property thereby agree that any photograph or video taken by the District may be used in District publications, advertising, marketing materials, brochures, event flyers, social media (including Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites operated by the District), and the District’s website without additional prior notice or permission and without any compensation to you. All photos and videos are property of the District.
Please see your ePACT account for more information.
The Park District is committed to providing a safe place for your recreational activities. We encourage Highland Park residents to report safety concerns about our facilities and parks by calling 847.831.3968. You can leave a message any time of the day, seven days a week. Because of the high volume of people using our facilities each day, our facilities can change daily. We want to know if you see something that concerns you.
Recreation program residency rates apply to everyone who lives within Park District of Highland Park boundaries and pays Park District of Highland Park taxes, including residents of Fort Sheridan (60037); portions of the Town of Fort Sheridan that lie within Park District boundaries (60035); and Park District of Highland Park taxpayers who reside on the following Kings Cove (Deerfield) streets: Carriage Way, Bent Creek Ridge, Fox Hunt Trail, Millstone Road, Shag Bark Lane, Smoke Tree Road, and Tanglewood Court.
All other Deerfield street addresses do not pay Park District of Highland Park taxes and are, therefore, non-residents of the Park District. Non-residents pay a higher fee for most programs.
Proof of Park District of Highland Park residency in the form of a valid Driver’s License or Illinois State ID may be required for registration. Anyone who improperly uses a Highland Park address for Park District program registration will be removed from the class without a refund or transfer.
Note: Non-residents are not eligible for resident fees even if their caretaker provider or relative is a Highland Park resident.
New! Highwood residents can receive resident rates for 2023 Summer Camps. To receive resident rates:
The Park District of Highland Park encourages participation by everyone! If you or a family member have special needs and would like to participate in a program, we will be happy to make reasonable modification(s) to meet your needs. Please indicate on the registration form if you would like information regarding our inclusion programs and/or specifically identify any need and request for reasonable modification(s) according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Park District of Highland Park provides recreational opportunities for all residents of Highland Park. People with and without disabilities are encouraged and invited to register for all Park District of Highland Park programs of interest. People with disabilities will not be discriminated against in the delivery of Park District of Highland Park programs. To discuss our policies, programs, or services or raise a claim of discrimination on the basis of disability, contact Julie Nichols, our ADA Coordinator, at jnichols@pdhp.org or 847.579.3131.
Each camp is supervised daily by a qualified adult director. Some camps depending on size, also have an assistant director. Each camp’s high school- or college-age counselors are chosen carefully by the Park District for their demonstration of maturity and enthusiasm. All camp staff complete an extensive training program, including supervision and safety techniques, activity development, and first aid.
Transfers from one camp to another must be made on or before May 1. In order to request a transfer, please contact the supervisor of the camp your child is currently enrolled. If additional fees are required, payment is due at the time of transfer.
