Community Recreation Department
The Community Recreation Department is the largest department within the Chicago Park District. The Community Recreation Department focuses on the Park District's core mission of providing high quality leisure services to Chicago residents and visitors. The department consists of the Central, North and South Regions as well as three divisions: Athletics, Aquatics, and Culture, Arts and Nature (CAN). These three divisions help support programs and events in the regions as well as offer specialized programming within the various athletic and cultural disciplines.
Aquatics:
Whether you are 9 months or 90 years old, there is a program for you offered in the Chicago Park District. The Chicago Park District is responsible for 26 indoor pools, 51 outdoor pools, 15 pools in schools, 36 Sports 37™ locations with 42 apprenticeships, and 26 miles of lakefront including 23 swimming beaches plus one inland beach.
Community Programs:Aquatic classes and programs are offered for numerous age groups and skill levels that begin in the fall and continue through mid-May. Summer programs are offered mid-June through mid-August. These classes include: Tiny Tot Learn to Swim; Parent and Child Learn to Swim; Youth, Teen and Adult Learn to Swim; Junior Lifeguard; Swim Team; Water Polo; and Aquatic Exercise. There are classes designed specifically for seniors, such as Water Walking, and many pools offer a swim club for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. In cooperation with the USA Swimming Foundation and its Make A Splash™ initiative, we are working to spread awareness of the importance of Chicagoans learning how to swim by increasing programs at each pool location.
Specialty Programs:Advanced training and competition are offered in our group swimming and water polo clubs for youth and teens. Athletes in our competitive programs participate in local, regional and national competitions. Our water polo club is the four-time Midwest Zone qualifier for the National Speedo Cup Tournament and recently sent three teams to the Junior Olympic tournament in July 2009. Swimmers on the swim club have qualified for competition as members of the Illinois State team and for the zone championships. Members of these clubs have also had the experience of attending clinics with Olympians and former Olympians where they have developed advanced skills and learned about goal setting as well as an athlete's need for proper health and nutrition. Summer aquatic specialty programs are offered in swimming, water polo and junior lifeguard, a program that trains youth to be future lifeguards. Opportunities for expanded programming are planned for kayaking, SCUBA, sailing and synchronized swimming.
Training:Chicago Park District aquatic instructor staff is certified by the American Red Cross in Water Safety, Lifeguard Training, CPR / AED, First Aid and Sport Safety Training. Instructor staff is also certified in Aquatic Exercise, with plans to expand this certification. There are more than 300 year round aquatic staff that help deliver the community programs and maintain the safety of pool facilities. Aquatic instructor staff also trains and recertifies field aquatic staff in all facets of aquatics as well as CPR, First Aid and AED. All 1,000 seasonal and year round lifeguard and instructor staff is recertified annually.
Athletics:
The Chicago Park District offers a variety of athletic programs for youth and teens to receive training necessary for competition at various levels with an emphasis on learning basic skills and incorporating the rules of fair play and sportsmanship. Athletes in these specialty programs compete on the local, state, regional and national levels. Teens are taught hands-on job training skills in the Sports 37™ program and all programs strive to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Gymnastics:The Chicago Park District gymnastics program is a year-round series of exciting and enjoyable fitness activities that enhances children's athletic abilities for all sports and physical skills through physical and mental discipline. Trained and certified instructors are responsible for teaching fundamental techniques of gymnastics, tumbling, cheerleading and dance, helping young people excel through participation in activities that develop self-discipline, self-esteem and a sense of self-accomplishment in its early childhood, youth and teen participants. Early childhood participants develop and enhance their motor, listening and social skills through movement education programming. Youth and teen participants experience a positive gymnastics experience while developing skills on all the Olympic gymnastics events... The gymnastics, tumbling and cheerleading programs encourage and train athletes for the Chicago Park District competitive teams and the dance program trains dancers for the Chicago Park District performance dance team, Jump Co.
Special Recreation:The mission of the Chicago Park District special recreation program is to provide a diverse range of recreational opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. These include the following programs and services: Adaptive Sports; Paralympic Sports; Special Olympics; recreation and leisure programs for deaf/hard of hearing and/or blind/visually impaired individuals, ranging from introductory levels to competitive sports. There are two locations with year-round programs for deaf/hard of hearing individuals. There are 16 locations that work with individuals with intellectual disabilities. One location offers programs with a primary focus to work with youth at risk. All special recreation field staff and inclusion aides are trained in behavior management and adaptive sport skills. Participant assessments are completed when requested to assure an individual with a disability will be successful in any program the Chicago Park District offers.
The Chicago Park District special recreation program has developed a partnership with schools and agencies that work with individuals with disabilities, focusing on the expansion of services for physical and sensory disabilities, with a goal to create a Chicago Park District Paralympic team. Leagues and competitions for youth at risk, a program with the alternative schools within the City of Chicago, are also coordinated through the special recreation program. This successful outreach offers the recreational opportunities needed for this population.
The Special Olympics Chicago program is an integral part of the special recreation program. Information about the program and volunteer opportunities can be found at www.sochicago.org .
Sports:The sports program staff supplements the sports camps offered throughout the Chicago Park District and provides technical support for region staff in regards to their sports programming. Sports program staff is responsible for running citywide sports competitions and organizing culminating sporting events and have a thorough knowledge of rules and regulations of the sports offered. The citywide sports are floor hockey, basketball, 2-ball, badminton, soccer, softball, wrestling, table tennis, track & field, volleyball, silver skates, cross country, and boxing. In addition to our citywide sports, we also offer specialized leagues like our inner city programs. These include basketball (youth and teen), flag football and baseball. Our ongoing partnerships with the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs provide the much needed funding for these athletic programs. The Chicago Bears also fund the Jr. Bears and Nerf football programs designed to help kids get ready for football at the high school level.
Sports 37™:After School Matters (ASM) is a non-profit organization that partners with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services and the Chicago Public Library to expand out of school opportunities for Chicago teens. ASM aligns the resources of these partners along with resources of private and non-profit organizations to offer teens a comprehensive network of specialized opportunities.
Sports37™ engages Chicago's teens in fun, spirited activities that develop important life skills and a healthy approach to living while exposing them to a broad range of career opportunities in the fields of health, fitness, and sports. Currently, Sports37™ includes the sports apprenticeship, pre-lifeguard apprenticeship, shallow water attendant, instructor aide, lifeguard apprenticeship, stadium management, recreation leader, junior fitness cadet, cheerleading, recreation leader, early childhood music and movement, water safety instructor and Club37™.
Apprenticeships are hands on, interactive programs led by skilled professionals who provide teens with an opportunity to explore different career paths and develop marketable skills such as team work and problem solving. Apprenticeship programs operate at three levels of complexity: pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and advanced apprenticeships.
Wellness:The wellness program focuses on providing the opportunity for all ages and abilities to enjoy a variety of physical activities, as well as increased awareness of the importance of healthy eating to improve overall wellness. We offer several varieties of fitness programs and special events to support the development of a physically active and healthy lifestyle. Staff members throughout the regions are trained in a variety of class formats that improve cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance and flexibility, with an emphasis on safety. Class formats and trainings include Mightyfit Kidz, yoga, Pilates, step aerobics, cardio kickboxing, senior fitness, kids Fitness, cardio dance, nutrition, adaptive fitness and walking programs. Wellness is responsible for equipment purchase, repairs and training for the strength and cardio equipment located in 60 fitness centers. Recent additions are 6 youth activity interactive gaming sites in addition to outdoor fitness equipment. Wellness program staff members are active members of the Mayor's Fitness Council, a collaboration of Chicagoland organizations with the mission to promote, encourage and motivate the development of a physically active and healthy lifestyle for Chicagoans of all ages and abilities. We also manage grant funding for Go Girl Go!, Wellness Demonstration Centers, Blue Cross Blue Shield, ABBOTT Foundation, and Achieve to support wellness programming initiatives in the parks.
Culture, Arts and Nature (CAN):
If you have ever watched a movie in the park, taken part in a fishing or camping program, or enjoyed the imaginative artwork created by youth in our parks, then you are already familiar with some of the responsibilities of CAN. There's something for all ages and abilities, from stroller struts to senior dance card. From SummerDance to the Winter Solstice Festival, programs span all four seasons, and reach every corner of the city.
Culture & Arts:Cultural programs serve to introduce community members to a wide variety of cultural art forms and experiences. The arts & culture unit envisions parks as vital cultural spaces that encourage all Chicagoans to explore and embrace the visual and performing arts and their power to enhance individual quality of life, neighborhood development and community dialogue. There are a variety of arts programs offered throughout the Chicago Park District including the arts partners in residency, a nationally recognized partnership that allows not-for-profit arts organizations to be housed in Chicago Park District field houses. These partners currently offer programs in theatre, dance, music, film and gallery art. There are specialty programs for youth, teens and adults. In order to increase the quality and quantity of cultural arts programs and activities throughout Chicago, 13 parks have been identified as cultural centers. These centers provide high quality, wide-ranging and diverse cultural programming, serving residents of every age citywide.
Nature:Spending a green hour a day can help children (and adults) reduce stress, build immunity, lose weight, and increase imaginative play. Nature programs and events are not only about nature education, but about creating appreciation, and promoting environmental stewardship. There are 3 community gardens in neighborhood parks where interested gardeners are assigned work days to help maintain and harvest the gardens. Children learn to plant, maintain, harvest, cook from and winterize in the after school and summer day camp harvest gardens. Over 10,000 campers, kids, seniors and people with special needs take advantage of the Fish'N Kids experience located in lagoons, the Chicago River and along the lakefront. There are outdoor programs held throughout the year for all ages at 3 outdoor education sites.
Special Events:Special events bring communities together in the parks. Whether a movie, performance, training or banquet, the Special Events unit seeks to create inviting, safe, activity-oriented neighborhood parks where Chicagoans and tourists can discover world class events. These activities include Theater on the Lake, jazz concerts and the Chicago SummerDance series to name just a few.
last updated: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:22:38 PM