Champ Camp Great Outdoors at Elmhurst University — Hotel in Elmhurst

I enrolled my child in Champ Camp Great Outdoors in Elmhurst for the entire summer, but we did not complete the program because my child refused to continue based on the disrespectful and aggressive treatment she endured from a camp counselor, Sonya, who forced her into a dark room she did not want to enter on a field trip to the planetarium, shoved her to the floor when she was afraid and did not want to continue walking, snatched a T-shirt out of her hands and made her cry, then told her to “keep on crying”—which she did, up until she was picked up at the end of the day. She continued to glare at and provoke my child while she cried. Sonya’s disgraceful behavior, failure to take accountability and lack of apology for the pain she inflicted on my child, coupled with the Camp Director Chaleeta’s denial of these incidents and assurance that my child “had a great time” is quite frankly criminal. I expected better out of a summer camp that costs $3,200 to attend at a private university. If you think you’re sending your child to a camp where all of the counselors are undergraduate and graduate students majoring in education, you are mistaken. Some of these counselors are three times that age and are not only hostile, but contemptuous of children, and it shows. This camp needs to do a better job of vetting counselors, of completing some semblance of an incident report when incidents occur and of ensuring that children aren’t singled out, excluded or abused while under their supervision. I’m furious about the experience my child had and at the fact that nothing was done to objectively investigate these matters or penalize the person who victimized my child. We’ve attended multiple summer camps—none this expensive—and never had an experience remotely similar to this. If you are a parent considering enrolling your child in this program, know that there are apparently no checks and balances to meaningfully address parent concerns. For a program in its first year at this location, they have really set the bar low and seem to think that they can do whatever they want and say whatever they want to child participants with no repercussions. Children should not have to be their own advocates at summer camp—that is the job of the adults employed to watch them. To describe what has happened as unacceptable is an understatement. The fact that Chaleeta is a parent herself and attempted to downplay this is beyond shameful. The fact that she told me “children cry” as though this is par for the course at a camp marketed as a place “where summer magic unfolds” is reprehensible. A refund is not enough.

The one decent part of this camp was Miss Mallory. Unfortunately, everything else that has happened prompted us to leave and to warn other families not to waste their money or hopes on...

As a parent with a demanding schedule, finding the right summer camp for my two children has always been a challenge. However, Champ Camp Great Outdoors in Elmhurst has been an absolute game-changer for us this summer.

From the moment I enrolled my children, I was impressed by the camp's focus on teaching essential life skills in a fun and engaging way. The activities are thoughtfully designed, ensuring that the kids are not only entertained but also learning valuable lessons they can carry with them for life.

One day, out of sheer curiosity and a little bit of skepticism, I decided to pick up my kids in the middle of the day, just to see if they were really getting the experience I was promised. To my delight, I found my children fully immersed in a fire-building activity. They were wearing protective gear, and every child had a smile on their face, their eyes wide with amazement. It was clear that the counselors were not just supervising but actively engaging with the children, making sure they were safe and having fun.

Communication from the camp has been outstanding. I receive daily updates, which puts my mind at ease and allows me to focus on my work, knowing my kids are in good hands. The staff members—Chaleeta, Andrea, and Tyler—are particularly exceptional. They are attentive, caring, and truly invested in the well-being and development of the campers. I trust them completely, and it's such a relief to be able to get things done without constantly worrying about my children.

Champ Camp Great Outdoors has provided an incredible experience for my kids and a much-needed respite for me. I’m so grateful for this camp and the wonderful staff who made...

After learning that the Elmhurst YMCA does not enroll incoming kindergartners into summer camp, we scrambled to find a camp for our 5 1/2 year old. We had just moved to Elmhurst and planned to send both kids to the Y. We called all the daycares and Kindercare recommended Champ Camp. It sounded too good to be true: 2 field trips every week, tons of outdoor time, sports, park activities... it sounded perfect for our high energy, outdoorsy, sports fanatic child. We enrolled him for the entire summer and he loved it! The counselors were wonderful and I loved that they used a app similar to our old daycare for photos and updates. The kids participated in tons of fun activities from fishing & hiking to crafts to a talent show. They visited museums, parks and pools, went kayaking and zip lining. The communication was great, I always felt like I knew what was going on. Our older child who was at the Y camp was actually jealous of all the fun stuff his little brother was doing at Champ Camp. The best thing about the camp, though, is that they really handled our child really well. He is HIGH energy and very impulsive, and can be hard to keep up with, but they did a great job. We will definitely be back next summer and plan to...