Decoma Day Camp

Name: Decoma Day Camp
Address: 4350 Walters Ave, Northbrook, IL 60062, USA, Chicago, IL, US
Telephone: (847) 272-4560
Rating: 4.8

4.8(39) Chicago, IL

Directions Website

About Decoma Day Camp

Decoma Day Camp offers a deeply nurturing, highly engaging, and fun summer experience, particularly excelling in caring for young and first-time campers. Its unique value lies in its 'home away from home' atmosphere fostered by a family-owned leadership and a dedicated, well-trained staff—often teachers or education students—who prioritize safety and personalized attention. The camp provides diverse activities, including twice-daily swimming and organized indoor options for rainy days, ensuring children are constantly engaged, developing social skills, and returning home exhausted and happy.

What parents should know

Summarized from real visitor reviews.

Best for: Parents of young children (3-5 years) for their first camp experience away from home, due to the exceptional care and sensitivity provided.Families looking for a 'home away from home' summer environment where staff and leadership genuinely care for each child.Children who love swimming and active play, as the camp offers twice-daily swim opportunities and a variety of activities.Parents who value excellent communication, responsiveness, and professional handling of requests from camp management.Families seeking a camp with deeply caring, well-trained, and professionally qualified staff (many are teachers or education students).

Why families love it

Exceptional Care for Young/First-Time Campers: Noted for sensitivity and care with 3 and 5-year-olds on their first camp experiences, with sweet and caring counselors who address individual needs.
Dedicated & Qualified Staff: Many staff are teachers or college students studying education, showing genuine love for working with children; high school staff are also committed and there for the kids.
Comprehensive Bus Service: Counselors call kids before camp and personally lead them by hand to the bus, offering a warm and reassuring start to the day.
Consistent Twice-Daily Swimming Program: Children swim twice daily, leading to increased comfort and skill in the water, even for young children (e.g., 3.5-year-old).
Diverse Activities for All Weather: Features varied activities for sunny days and organized indoor fun (movies, games, draws, laughs) for rainy days, ensuring continuous engagement and preventing boredom.
Strong Parent Communication & Responsiveness: Management and staff are prompt and professional in addressing parent questions, requests, and needs, providing exceptional customer service.

Insider tips

Parents seeking a camp with a strong 'family feel' and personalized attention for their children should strongly consider Decoma.
Ideal for parents looking for a camp that helps young children adjust to being away from home, with very supportive and sensitive staff.
Expect children to be physically engaged and come home 'exhausted' but happy, having had a day full of activities.
If swimming skill development and comfort in water are priorities, the twice-daily swim program is a significant benefit.
Given the consistently strong positive feedback and high re-enrollment rates (e.g., re-signing kids for next year), parents should consider signing up early for desired sessions.
Be assured that children will be engaged and entertained regardless of weather, thanks to robust planning for both sunny and rainy days.

Good to know before you go

Based on these overwhelmingly positive reviews, there are no specific situations or types of families for whom Decoma Day Camp should be avoided. All feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction across various age groups and needs.
No specific problems were reported by parents in these reviews. One reviewer dismisses 'bad reviews that others are writing' as 'nonsense,' implying external critiques exist but are not substantiated by these positive experiences.

Value: No specific pricing is mentioned in the reviews. However, the consistent feedback of personalized care, comprehensive activities (including twice-daily swimming and diverse weather-proof options), highly qualified staff, and overwhelming parent satisfaction (e.g., 'exceeded expectations,' re-signing kids for next year) strongly indicates excellent value for the cost compared to alternatives.
Accessibility: No specific accessibility accommodations for children with special needs are mentioned in these reviews.
Safety: Leadership explicitly states having 'safety and fun in mind at all times,' indicating a priority on child well-being.

What parents say

JOEY BURDA

5.0

"Been to this camp since 2012. I’m now activity staff and it’s AMAZING I was a camper until 2021 and that’s when I worked as a schlepper and I gotta say it’s the best job for me, staff is amazing, campers are fun and funny, and the planning is fantastic. During a sunny day everyone is out doing something fun and when it’s a dark rainy day it still doesn’t stop us from having fun, we watch movies, play games, draws and have a lot of laughs. This is the only job I’ll work for in summers"

7 months ago

J A

5.0

"My family found a home away from home this summer at Decoma. The counselors called our kids before the camp started to say hello! Then on the first day, the bus rolled up to our driveway and two warm and friendly counselors led the kids by hand to the bus. The leadership has the right priorities of safety and fun in mind at all times. The kids swim twice a day and are having the time of their lives this summer! Thanks Decoma!"

2 years ago

Audrey Krolicki

5.0

"My 5 and 3 yr old children had an amazing time at Decoma! For my 5 yr old, this was her first time being away from home all day. The staff and management were SO caring and sensitive to her needs. Her counselor was the sweetest. She had an amazing time and made so many friends! For my 3 yr old it was his very first time being dropped off. He looked forward to camp every time and would come home saying that he had so much fun!! I love that this camp is family owned - they care about every single camper like it’s their only camper. I had all kinds of questions, requests, needs - they addressed e"

5 years ago

Reviews sourced from public Google data.