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1- and 2- Week Courses

PreK - Grade 6 Academic Summer Day Camps at Chicago Area Sites

2024 Summer Application is Now Open!

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2024 Summer Course Applications are open!

 Explore Courses

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In Person

PreK - Grade 2: week-long, half-day courses available.

Grades 1 - 5: weeklong all-day courses available

Grades 5 - 6: two-week all-day courses available

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Summer 2024

June 24 - June 28;
July 8 - August 2

 

Tuition

  • 2024 Tuition Rates
    • Half-day course: $375
    • One-week all-day: $720
    • Two-week all-day: $1,500

Financial aid available for qualified students.

Academic Day Camps that Inspire Creativity and Exploration

CTD Academic Day Camps provide academically advanced concepts in fun yet challenging ways that encourage exploration, creativity, and problem-solving. Experienced instructors build on students' interests and strengths, and guide students as they develop knowledge and skills that they'll take with them long after the course ends.

Why Choose CTD's Academic Day Camps?

CTD courses encourage students to explore topics in depth and at an accelerated pace that matches their readiness to learn. Since CTD focuses on talent development, the best way to choose courses is to consider your student's strengths and to identify course topics that are most interesting to them.

Benefits Include:

  • Hands-on, collaborative learning
  • Experienced instructors
  • Engagement with peers
  • Novel topics of high interest
  • Engaging projects that promote critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills
Eligibility and Enrollment Process

Please note: Students should apply to programs and select courses based on the grade they will enter in fall of 2024.

Students in PreK-K classes must be four years old before the start of the course.

CTD Academic Day Camps for the summer of 2024 are at the Amber and Emerald Tiers for eligibility. PreK to grade 2 courses are open enrollment, Amber Tier classes. There are no test scores or further documentation required for participation. Please note that successful completion of any Amber Tier course does not pre-qualify students to enroll in future classes outside of the Amber Tier.

Classes for students in grades 3 - 6 are comprised of courses at the Emerald Tier

With the launch of our new application system, our processes have changed and are more streamlined for your convenience.

From the Home page on your MyCTD account go to Courses.  If you do not yet have a MyCTD account, you can create one by clicking on MyCTD account from the upper right corner of our website. Please make sure to put your student or students into your account and make sure to select a STUDENT for each application.

You may use the filter to search for classes OR type in the class you wish to apply for in the search field.

Select the Apply Now button in the upper right corner of the course description card.

Select the student for whom you wish to create an application.

If your student’s school is not found with the search tool, please choose Other and provide your student’s school information in the space provided.

Please read through and sign the necessary release page.  The policies link at the top of the page includes the withdrawal and refund policies applicants agree to.  We ask that you make sure to review the policies for the program you are applying to carefully.

You may then choose to create a new application or proceed to the payments page.

On the payments page, select New Course Payment.

The Applications for Payment screen will allow you to make payment for the class AND shows the enrollment status of your application(s).  If the status is Under Review, no further action should be needed.  If the status reads Additional Information Needed, you will need to provide either qualifying test scores OR your student’s most recent report card/transcript and the name and email of their classroom teacher or the teacher whose class most closely relates to the course for which you are applying.

Please note, we have recently migrated to a new system and there may be some errors in our database. If you feel that your student’s Enrollment Status should read Under Review based on previous CTD classes, please email ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu .

If you would like to apply for need based financial aid, please make sure to read through our financial aid page to assess if you may qualify: https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/financial-aid  If you indicate you are applying for financial aid you will receive the FACTS financial aid application in a follow-up email.  Your application to the course cannot be reviewed without a COMPLETED FACTS application in the FACTS system.

On the payment screen, please select the application or applications you wish to pay for.  Unless applying for financial aid, CTD requires full payment at the time of application for most programs. If your student is not accepted, or the class is cancelled, you will receive a full refund.

Once you have made payment you will be directed back to your dashboard.  Please select TO APPLICATION.

You may choose to complete your application at this time OR you may come back to it. Please keep in mind, paying for and submitting and application DOES NOT hold a spot for your student.  Classes are filled in the order that completed, qualifying applications are received.

COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION

You will receive a confirmation email upon submission of your payment. The email contains a link to more specific directions regarding how to complete your application, should additional information be needed.

To complete your student’s application with qualifying TEST SCORES, click on Upload Test Scores.  You may also use this button to upload a copy of your student’s grades if necessary to show proof of prerequisites.

To complete your student’s application with a TEACHER RECOMMENDATION and GRADES please provide the name and email address of your recommending teacher.  If you do not have the grades ready at the same time you will be able to return to provide them later by following the prompts in your MyCTD account.

If you have any prerequisites that are not documented on your report card or transcript, you will have the opportunity to upload them separately.

We kindly request that you do not upload the same documents multiple times.  Please also allow our team up to 7 business days to process any documents provided for your application.

Application Deadline

Applications must be complete one-week prior to the start of the class. Applications completed after the deadline may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Requests for Grade Advancement/Acceleration

CTD course content is advanced or grade-level accelerated, as reflected in course descriptions and the standard admission requirements. Though course content is advanced, students can engage with intellectual peers who are also age- or grade-level peers. Therefore, most students should apply for courses aligned to the grade-level in which they are currently enrolled. Still, for some students demonstrating a need for an even higher level of instruction than CTD’s advanced and accelerated courses already provide, further acceleration may be an option. Visit the Requesting an Accelerated Placement web page for more information about the process, timeline, and required materials.

Fees, Withdrawals, and Financial Aid

Tuition

  • Half-day course: $375
  • One-week all-day: $720
  • Two-week all-day: $1,500

Withdrawals

Please see CTD's withdrawal and refund information for policies.

Financial Aid

CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details. 

  • The deadline to complete a financial aid application for Summer programming is April 30, 2023.
  • You will receive the FACTS application link in your application confirmation email once the $60 dollar tuition deposit is paid and the application is submitted.
  • It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
  • If you previously completed a FACTS application for the 2021-2022 academic year for CTD, you must still attach the 2022-2023 FACTS application to your FACTS account. You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information. You may need to update financial information.
  • If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866/412-4637.
Course Environment, Locations, Course Times

In CTD Academic Day Camps in the Chicago area, students can spend part of their summer exploring a topic of interest in an enriching, collaborative environment. Through hands-on explorations and projects, they'll have a chance to make connections and learn about topics in new ways. Courses are designed to be up to two academic years beyond their school grade level, which, combined with a faster pace, requires significant focus and persistence. This applies to all courses, including those that are open enrollment. 

Locations and Times

  • Programs offered in:
    • Chicago: Hawthorne Scholastic Academy - 3319 N Clifton Ave.
    • Evanston: St. Athanasius School - 2510 Ashland Ave.
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  • Courses at all sites run Monday through Friday.
    • AM: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. (PreK - Grade 2, only)
    • PM: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. (PreK - Grade 2, only)
    • All-Day: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Grades 1 - 6)
  • *Lunch supervision from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. will be provided for students who are enrolled in all-day programs and students who are enrolled in both an AM and a PM course during a single week. Students bring a sack lunch that does not require refrigeration.
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Evaluations

All students who participate in Academic Day Camps receive a brief evaluation that includes comments on the student's performance in class. An email notification will be sent when the evaluation is available for access via MyCTD.

Health & Communicable Illness

The health and safety of our students and staff has always been CTD's top priority. This year is no exception. Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to monitor their students for symptoms of illness prior to each class, keep sick students at home, and get them tested for communicable illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19, and strep throat.

Contact Us

Get Started on Your CTD Summer Program Journey.

If this is the program for you, we’d love for you to find your course and apply today!

 

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