ECC summer enrichment camp begins Monday

Elgin Community College's ninth annual Kids' College summer enrichment day camp kicks off Monday and will run through July 28.

The program, which provides academic enrichment to engage children and teens, this year will offer 44 classes focusing on arts, entertainment, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Kids 6 to 15 years old can engage in a variety of activities for a half day or full day of classes - including sewing, cooking, theater, geology, Lego robotics, Egyptian dig, Photoshop, 3-D printing, theme-based art camps, writing academy, money matters and electricity camp.

"We have grown from serving a smaller amount of the community," said Karin Quist, course developer for ECC's workforce development and continuing education department. "It started out with more arts and crafts kind of classes and now we have shifted to more of a focus on STEM courses. Our enrollments are up by about 10 percent from last year."

Roughly 300 students are enrolled and registration for a majority of classes is open through Monday, though space is limited.

Enrollment has grown steadily over the years despite competition with school and park districts that offer similar summer camps.

"We're growing because we have a following, 15 percent of our people come back year after year," Quist said. "The demand for summer programs is pretty high, especially with working parents."

STEM courses particularly are popular, as are sewing and cooking classes that are not being offered as extensively in the schools, she added.

"When we were growing up we had to learn how to type and kids now are learning to code," Quist said. "Robotics and engineering is taking off. People are a lot more aware of the value of having this knowledge."

STEM camp and cooking classes filled up fast. Also popular this year is the geology camp that will be taught by a retired science teacher.

Classes run 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Course costs range from $139 to $250. Materials will be provided.

All classes are taught by experienced and certified instructors who are professionals and will be held on ECC's campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

For a complete list of courses and to register, visit elgin.edu/kidscollege.

Supervised child care will be available before and after Kids' College classes through ECC's Early Childhood Lab School. For more information, visit elgin.edu/childcare or call (847) 214-7376.