Steve and Kate’s Camp – Lakeview

Jess and the camp counselors at the Lakeview camp are fantastic! They get to know the kids. They are energetic, friendly and seem to really enjoy their jobs. I have no problem leaving my two boys — 7 and 10 — with them.
The camp has so many activities. The boys love the studios. They love the weekly specials. They love the antlers-​up game… of course, I think they like winning the prizes the most. The website is a great resource and will get the kids excited to go.
This will be their third year at camp. The boys have made some good friends at camp and they look forward to seeing them. The studios and activities change a little each year, which also keeps them interested.
The food provided is great. My 7 year old now likes pesto thanks to camp. It is also great to get a break from packing lunches.
The hours are fantastic… they open early and close late. The boys get mad if they are picked up too early.
This has been a great experience for my kids. We look forward to June 27^th!

My son went to Steve and Kate’s camp this past summer full time, five days a week all summer. I highly recommend this camp. The hours are flexible (7:30am — 6pm), the location is enormous with tons of outdoor and indoor space thus on rainy or very hot days, the inside of the school provides ample place for play. The counselors are very caring and do a great job with the kids, especially the younger ones as my son was a K-​camper at five years old. The kids have a check in three times a day, in the morning, for lunch, and at 4pm and in between the kids can play as they like. It’s not structured which took some time for me to get used to as our son came from a structured daycare. The food was great and they had fresh fruit and pretzels/​chips available all day for snacks. It’s a bit like ‘Lord of the Flies’ in the sense that there’s a massive group of kids playing together but overall we loved it and my son can’t wait to go back next year. Also, with no frills such as buses or swimming, the price is very reasonable. Finally, the Director Jess, who’s been with the camp over eight years, did a great job before camp started of offering to meet each family one on one or via several camp events, and was very responsive with any questions I had during the summer. Five out of five stars from me.

Year 2 at Steve & Kate’s, this time with TWO diabetic kids — a 5 year old on injections, and an 8 year old on a pump. Jess (director) and David supervised blood sugar testing, gave injections, supervised pump use, called/​texted if numbers were too high or too low, or to get info on how much extra insulin to give if one of them wanted chips or a popsicle. We’ve got another few weeks to go for the summer, but so far it’s been another smooth experience.
It’s really hard to send T1D kids to a non-​ADA camp; diabetes is life-​threatening and complicated and as a parent, you’re never really sure if the people at the camp can really manage it. Fill out the 504, meet Jess ahead of time, make sure your kid knows where the office is and to tell a counselor if they feel high or low or just weird. This is one of the only camps I’ve found that GENUINELY welcomes diabetic kids.

Our 8 and 9 year old boys absolutely love this camp. There is just enough structure with plenty of choices for them to spend their summer how they want. The camp food is great, and Steve & Kate’s even accommodates their food allergies! Couldn’t ask for a better summer camp in Chicago. We’ll be returning this summer.

My 8 year old boy had a great time at Steve and Kate’s this summer. He would come back home in that mixed mode of exhaustion and excitement to tell me all the adventures he had during the day. And there were quite a few! This camp offers a wide range of activities the kids can choose from, plus weekly specials (my son’s favorite was the go karts).
Also, he has food allergies and the camp staff was very mindful and attentive to his needs.
Lastly, the way you can buy passes on an as needed basis is extremely convenient. I really enjoyed the flexibility.
Thanks to all the staff and a special shout out to Jess!

My six-​year-​old has had the best summer at Steve and Kate’s. He negotiates to stay as late as possible and is sad about any day that he has to miss. He’s a creative, energetic and self-​starter and this camp is perfect for him. The studio setting is great for a kid with varied interests – from sports to chess to sewing! He tries them all (often in the same day). But, don’t fear, there is still a traditional camp feeling – with kickoffs and pie throwing and silliness.
As for parents, it one of the few camps that is truly designed for working parents. The extended day is included in the cost and you can be very flexible with the schedule – pick a week here or there as needed. And perhaps the best bonus? A hot lunch is provided! No packing a brown paper bag daily. And my son loves all the food – even tells me he eats salad.

Steve & Kate’s camp is AWESOME! The camp allows the children to choose which activities that they want to engage in which, I find very creative & inspiring for children. The counselor are really cool too. They are vibrant, energetic, patient and kind. My daughter likes this camp so much that she didn’t want to go anywhere else soooo, it’s our 2^nd consecutive year!
Thank you Steve & Kate’s Lakeview family, you’re the BEST !!