NWSRA Summer Day Camps
Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA) Main Office, 3000 W. Central Rd., Suite 205, Suite 205, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
About
NWSRA Summer Day Camps include field trips, group activities, STEM projects, sensory play, athletics, and cultural arts. Campers take trips throughout the community and can participate in day camps, weekly programs, special events, and 16 different sports.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: School District Camps run in a camp format at North and South locations, with a 6-hour day that is half an hour longer than other options, are 5 weeks in length, and offer weekly registration with smaller and overlapping age ranges.
NWSRA Summer Day Camps are part of a broader organization that provides over 2,000 recreational programs and receives more than 14,000 registrations annually. Early childhood camps focus on improvement of social skills, following directions, and independence, and youth camps focus on cooperative play, social skills, and friendly competition through a variety of activities. Teen camps focus on continued enhancement of skills, giving back to the community, and actively pursuing individual interests, with adventure offered through trips throughout the community each day. Campers explore a variety of sensory experiences, nature interactivity, and organized play through field trips, group activities, and goal achievement throughout the summer, including STEM projects and sensory play.
NWSRA exists to provide outstanding opportunities through recreation for children and adults with disabilities and has enriched the lives of children and adults with disabilities as a partnership of 17 Park Districts in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for over 40 years. NWSRA full-time staff hold degrees in Therapeutic Recreation or closely related fields and hold certifications with state and/or national professional recreation associations, with skills that include program development, leadership, behavior management, lifting and transferring techniques, defensive driving, lifeguarding, and water safety instruction. Certified staff lead and oversee thousands of innovative recreational programs and services each year, and athletics are very popular, with over 600 athletes competing in 16 sports.
NWSRA holds the distinction of Distinguished Accredited Agency from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and has received the National Recreation and Park Association Excellence in Inclusion Award for leadership in the promotion of inclusion and diversity initiatives. The Northwest Special Recreation Association will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination in the provision of programs, services, or activities to individuals with disabilities. Programs are suggested for certain age groups and disability classifications so they can be designed to meet specific needs, and any individual who wants to participate in a program not suggested for their age or disability group may contact staff, with every attempt at reasonable accommodation made so the individual may participate in the desired program.
NWSRA has grown over its 44-year history and serves 17 northwest suburban communities in partnership with member park districts, offering day camps, weekly programs, trips, special events, cultural arts, and more. In the heart of the community, individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to be included and celebrate their lives at NWSRA.
One parent of two campers shared that their children, Olivia and Wayde, both with developmental disabilities and autism, attended the NWSRA Little Sprouts Day Camp in Summer 2016 after trying play groups and a preschool program. The parent described how, during the first week of Summer Day Camp, both children began entering camp willingly, greeting counselors with hugs and kisses, and leaving their parents without tears. The parent reported that from the trips to learning independence, participation in NWSRA programs affected everyday activities such as going to the grocery store, the car wash, visiting family, and going to the aquatic park, and that the children’s interactions with others and confidence changed in ways that impacted the whole family.
Last updated May 24, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: School District Camps run in a camp format at North and South locations, with a 6-hour day that is half an hour longer than other options, are 5 weeks in length, and offer weekly registration with smaller and overlapping age ranges.
NWSRA Summer Day Camps are part of a broader organization that provides over 2,000 recreational programs and receives more than 14,000 registrations annually. Early childhood camps focus on improvement of social skills, following directions, and independence, and youth camps focus on cooperative play, social skills, and friendly competition through a variety of activities. Teen camps focus on continued enhancement of skills, giving back to the community, and actively pursuing individual interests, with adventure offered through trips throughout the community each day. Campers explore a variety of sensory experiences, nature interactivity, and organized play through field trips, group activities, and goal achievement throughout the summer, including STEM projects and sensory play.
NWSRA exists to provide outstanding opportunities through recreation for children and adults with disabilities and has enriched the lives of children and adults with disabilities as a partnership of 17 Park Districts in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for over 40 years. NWSRA full-time staff hold degrees in Therapeutic Recreation or closely related fields and hold certifications with state and/or national professional recreation associations, with skills that include program development, leadership, behavior management, lifting and transferring techniques, defensive driving, lifeguarding, and water safety instruction. Certified staff lead and oversee thousands of innovative recreational programs and services each year, and athletics are very popular, with over 600 athletes competing in 16 sports.
NWSRA holds the distinction of Distinguished Accredited Agency from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association and has received the National Recreation and Park Association Excellence in Inclusion Award for leadership in the promotion of inclusion and diversity initiatives. The Northwest Special Recreation Association will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination in the provision of programs, services, or activities to individuals with disabilities. Programs are suggested for certain age groups and disability classifications so they can be designed to meet specific needs, and any individual who wants to participate in a program not suggested for their age or disability group may contact staff, with every attempt at reasonable accommodation made so the individual may participate in the desired program.
NWSRA has grown over its 44-year history and serves 17 northwest suburban communities in partnership with member park districts, offering day camps, weekly programs, trips, special events, cultural arts, and more. In the heart of the community, individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to be included and celebrate their lives at NWSRA.
One parent of two campers shared that their children, Olivia and Wayde, both with developmental disabilities and autism, attended the NWSRA Little Sprouts Day Camp in Summer 2016 after trying play groups and a preschool program. The parent described how, during the first week of Summer Day Camp, both children began entering camp willingly, greeting counselors with hugs and kisses, and leaving their parents without tears. The parent reported that from the trips to learning independence, participation in NWSRA programs affected everyday activities such as going to the grocery store, the car wash, visiting family, and going to the aquatic park, and that the children’s interactions with others and confidence changed in ways that impacted the whole family.
Last updated May 24, 2026.
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