Summer Zoo Crew

Check-in will take place each morning from 8:45–9:15 a.m. Checkout will take place for all grade levels from 3–3:15 p.m., unless the camper is registered for Aftercare. Caregivers must be present for both check-in and checkout, unless the caregiver has authorized their camper to participate in self check-in and checkout. Check-in and checkout take place in the designated area outside the Judy Keller Education Center on Cannon Drive. Caregivers authorized to pick up campers must show a photo ID every day at checkout.

Campers with a permission slip signed by their caregiver on file may participate in self check-in and checkout. Permission slips will be emailed to registered Zoo Crew families prior to the start of camp.

Caregivers may park in the temporary camp parking zone located just outside the Judy Keller Education Center. Enter the parking lot at the corner of Cannon Drive and Fullerton Parkway. Take a ticket or use your zoo membership ID to enter the lot and proceed south until you see the blue signs marking our temporary parking zone. You may also park in any space outside the temporary parking zone if you plan to remain at the zoo after your camper checks in. If you take a ticket to enter the lot, you have 30 minutes to exit before you incur a fee.

Please avoid late drop-offs and early departures as much as possible. These disrupt the flow of the camp day, cause staff to be pulled away from programming and other essential duties, and result in missed activities for your camper. If they cannot be avoided, please plan to drop off/pick up your camper between 11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. if possible. All late arrivals or early departures should be arranged in advance by contacting the camp staff at camp@lpzoo.org. If you do not notify us in advance, you may have to wait as long as 25 minutes for staff to retrieve your camper from zoo grounds. Please note, campers cannot participate in camp on field trip days if they do not arrive at the zoo by 9:15 a.m. If you are running late, please call the camp phone ASAP for further instructions.

Each camper will receive two green Zoo Crew T-shirts with their registration. Campers should wear their green camp T-shirt and bring their backpack every day they attend camp. Campers may also wear green camp T-shirts from previous years if they wish.

Caregivers will have the option to purchase additional shirts at tickets.lpzoo.org.

All campers should:

• Bring a refillable water bottle
• Bring sunscreen and have it applied before they check in
• Have a backpack
• Be dressed for the outdoors
• Wear closed-toe shoes with a back—no sandals please!

Optional gear pickup events will take place from 4–6 p.m. on May 27 and 28. Gear that is not picked up at one of these events will be given to each camper on their first day of camp.

Camp staff are all CPR/first aid-certified and an EMT is onsite during camp.

Caregivers are the zoo’s most important partners in keeping our camp community healthy and safe. If your camper feels unwell or shows any signs of infectious illness (sore throat, new cough, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, severe headache, or a fever at or above 100.4 degrees), please do not send them to camp!

If campers have been ill, they may return to camp after they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and symptoms have improved.

If a camper feels unwell at camp, caregivers will be called to pick up their camper. Campers may return to camp after they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and symptoms have improved.

No two camp days are exactly the same. Camp instructors do their best to follow camper interests while selecting each day’s activities from our camp curricula, so there is always variety. However, there are some things campers can count on.

• Morning and afternoon free play.
• Chats with zoo experts and other special experiences up to three times per week.
• Outside time, as much as weather permits.
• Activities that help campers build knowledge, empathy, and curiosity about animals and conservation.
• Time to see many of the zoo’s animal residents.
• Field trips on Fridays.
• One Late Stay at the Zoo each Zoo Crew session, which will last until 8 p.m.

Your camper will see many zoo animals throughout their camp week. However, we leave care of the animals up to professional zookeepers. Campers will not have the opportunity to touch or feed the animals.

There is only one Zoo Crew group per session. If your camper is registered for the same session as their friend, they will be in the same group by default.

At Lincoln Park Zoo, we value the inclusion of campers of all abilities. Some accommodations at camp include social stories, visual schedules, fidget tools, noise-cancelling headphones, behavior charts/incentives, countdowns for transitions, and occasional short breaks away from the group. One-on-one aides are not an accommodation we offer.

Campers for whom our inclusion model works well can participate in both structured and unstructured activities for most of the day in a group of 14–16 campers with two college-age or older counselors.

If your child has specific needs or accommodations, please contact our camp team at camp@lpzoo.org or include this information when registering so that we may discuss how to make sure your camper has a great experience. You can learn more about inclusion at camp by visiting lpzoo.org/youth-programs.