Frequently Asked Questions

How many campers and from what areas will the new camp serve?

We are looking forward to welcoming about 425 campers in the summer of 2008, mostly ranging in age from 4 years through 6th grade. The camp will draw from Lake, McHenry and Kane Counties and parts of Cook County including Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Barrington, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Elgin, Crystal Lake, and even families in Highland Park and Highwood that may be closer to the new camp than our current “ZFA” location.

For families in Buffalo Grove that may be equidistant from “EFA” and “ZFA”, will they have the option of choosing either camp?

Yes. We will be talking directly to families in this situation about their options.

How will we provide transportation to and from “EFA”?

Round trip transportation is provided for campers living within designated and reasonable boundaries (about 45-55 minutes) and is included in the camp fee. Because of the number of communities in multiple counties being served by “EFA”, bus pick-up and drop-off locations will be a combination of door-to-door, corner and cluster stops. Locations will be determined based on registration, and routes will be designed to be as efficient as possible. Routes may change from summer to summer based on enrollment. Campers living outside of designated bus boundaries will be encouraged to meet at alternative locations.

If a family is interested in driving their child or children to camp, or creating a carpool, they are encouraged to call the Day Camping office for advice and fee discount implications.

The final bus routes for “EFA” Summer 08 will be published in May or June, 08.

What are the fees, deposit requirements, and refund policies?

The fees, deposit requirements and refund policies are all included on the “EFA” fact sheets and on gojcc.org.

What are the dates and exact hours of the camp sessions?

8 weeks: June 16-August 8
First session: June 16-July 11
Second Session: July 14-August 8

Camp times are from 9:30am-3:15pm 

Will there be a sibling discount?

Yes. Register more than one child from your family for JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp and save $50 per additional registration.

Will there be before and after camp care?

There are 3 options: 

EFA: drop off and pick up 7:00am-6:00pm

Woodland Commons: 7:00am-6:00pm (Bus will drop off at Woodland Commons on the 3:15pm route and campers will play at Woodland Commons until parent picks up.)

Express Bus Woodland Commons: Same drop off in the morning at Woodland Commons and afternoon campers would stay at EFA. Swimming, snack and being outside/inside until 5pm when an express bus would take them back to Woodland Commons for pick up.

Will “Try Chi” be available to “EFA” campers?

Try Chi will be available to “EFA” campers in the 1st year.

Will 2+2+4 be available to “EFA” Campers?

2+2+4 will be available to “EFA” Campers in the 1st year.

Will “EFA” have special pizza lunches and Friday cookouts?

Yes. We will offer special pizza lunches on Wednesday and a hot dog cookout on Friday.

Will there be week extensions and at what fees?

Week to week extensions are available on registrations for 4 or more weeks. Please call for pricing.

Will the launch of “EFA” mean the closing of or reduction of facilities, service or upgrades to “ZFA” in Northbrook?

Absolutely not! The JCC “Z” Frank Apachi Day Camp just celebrated its 20th year of service with significant investments of new facility features and programs over the years. “ZFA” will continue to be a major part of JCC Day Camping for years to come and JCC of Chicago is committed to its ongoing improvements and quality of programs.

Our newest camp, JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp, which bears the same family name, is intended to draw campers from new areas and communities currently not served by “ZFA” in Northbrook.

The fees for the new camp seem very reasonable for year one, but will there be large fee increases in subsequent years?

No, there will not be large fee “spikes” in the 2nd or subsequent years. Our plan is to maintain reasonable and affordable fees at JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp on the same relative scale that we are offering now. We will have the normal fee increases to address cost-of-living increases, the natural expense increases that are charged to us, etc. As we do in all of our JCC Day Camps, our long-term intention at JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp is to keep the highest value to cost ratio, keeping it affordable for years to come for the many families throughout all the communities that we hope to serve.

The fees for JCC “Z” Frank Apachi are more than the brand new, bigger JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp. Why is this so?

We have a higher overhead and fixed set of operating and upkeep expenses for JCC “Z” Frank Apachi in Northbrook than we do for JCC Elaine Frank Apachi in Lake Zurich. The economics and costs that affect our expenses and camp fees varies by community including property costs, permits and licensing fees, staff costs, transportation and maintenance fees, etc.  

At a new camp like JCC Elaine Frank Apachi Day Camp, will there be experienced and trustworthy staff that I can be sure will provide the best experience for my child?

Absolutely! The director, Jennifer Zislis, has 17 years experience in JCC of Chicago Day Camping, most recently as assistant director of our JCC “Z” Frank Apachi Day Camp. We are also bringing in experienced program specialists from our other camps whom we are confident are able, ready and eager to take on this responsibility at the new location. Keep in mind that many of the staff at all summer day camps are seasonal positions (summer only) at many levels. That is why we hire and keep the best supervisory and program staff who work year-round preparing for the summer, recruiting the best staff, and then managing our day camps on site each and every moment of the summer camp days. We have years of experience recruiting the right staff and ensuring that they have the right credentials, experience and JCC training for every summer position.