Gifted Children's Resource Guide

Avery Coonley School
1400 Maple Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630.969.0800 

Academically and physically challenging enrichment for curious kids from kindergarten through eighth grade. Three 2-week sessions. A full-day program for four and five-year-old students.

Aurora University
Special Programs
347 S. Gladstone Avenue
Aurora, IL 60506-4892
630.892.6431 

We seek to meet the needs of the community through accessible educational and engagement opportunities by providing innovative learning venues.

The Center for Gifted
a Northern Illinois University partner
1926 Waukegan Road
Glenview, IL 60025
847.901.0173 
E-mail: info@centerforgifted.org 

The Center for Gifted offers programs during the winter and summer in a variety of suburban and Chicago locations. The Center for Gifted designs, develops, and delivers educational programs for talented and academically gifted children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The broad subject areas are the humanities, sciences, mathematics, and the arts. Please visit their website for more details.

Northwestern University
Center for Talent Development (CTD)
847.491.3782 
E-mail: ctd@nothwestern.edu 

The Center for Talent Development offers programs and classes for academically talented students K-1. Programs and classes include challenging and rigorous three-week residential and commuter Summer Programs for students in grades 4 to 12, Gifted LearningLinks distance-learning courses for students in grades K to 12 (enrichment classes for grades K - 6; honors/AP for grades 6 - 12), the Saturday Enrichment Program for preK to grade 9 students in Evanston, Naperville, Palatine and Chicago, and the Accelerated Weekend Experience (AWE) which are weekend intensives for middle schoolers (5-8th graders) offered throughout the state.

Digital Adventures
844.KID.CODE 
E-mail: omowale@digitaladventures.com 

Digital Adventures teaches kids how to build with technology so they can one day change the world! Our team believes in learn by doing which means that we take students through a series of coding and engineering design projects on a wide variety of topics including: robotics, video game design, virtual reality worlds, Minecraft Modding, movie-making, animation and 3D modeling. Our state-of-the-art learning studios bring together experienced instructors in a fun and engaging environment to maximize the individual learning potential of each student.

Engineering for Kids
Western, South-Western, & South Suburbs
630.851.7525 
E-mail: cws@engineeringforkids.net 

Kids ages 4 to 14 are introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education through programs such as after-school programs, classes, camps, workshops, and birthday parties. They also offer programs for home schooled students, scouts events, in-school field trips, and parent's night out events!

iD Tech Camps
Held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Lake Forest University in Lake Forest, Loyola University in Chicago, GEMS World Academy in Chicago, and Benedictine University in Lisle
888.709.TECH  (8324)
E-mail: info@IDTech.com 

Kids and teens learn to code, design video games, mod Minecraft, create with Roblox, engineer robots, print 3D characters, work with AI and machine learning, build laptops, learn about cybersecurity, and more! Weeklong and 2-week summer programs for ages 7-18. This summer, students can explore a prestigious campus, make new friends as they master new tech skills, and join a community of 350,000 iD Tech alumni.

Also check out online learning at iD Tech Camps.

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
1500 W. Sullivan Rd.
Aurora, IL 60506-1000
630.907.5000 
E-mail: center@imsa.edu 

The Illinois Math and Science Academy offers summer programs for both teachers and students.

McHenry County College
Kids and College
Marie Frostman
815.479.7559 
E-mail: mfrostma@mchenry.edu 

McHenry County College Continuing Education sponsors programs that combine quality, innovation and just plain fun into programming that helps prepare our community’s youth and teens for the 21st century and beyond.

Kids Science Labs
Multiple Locations in the South Loop, Lincoln Park, Northbrook, and Naperville/Wheaton

Offer hands-on science program to build your child’s creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills including classes and summer camps.

The Science & Arts Academy
1825 Miner Street
Des Plaines, IL 60016
847.827.7880  - Main Number

The mission of Science & Arts Academy is to provide a stimulating environment in which intellectually and creatively gifted children can realize and learn to celebrate their full academic and artistic potential.

Sprout Gifted Services
Judy Wahl, Owner & Program Director
312.593.2320 
E-mail: judy@sproutgifted.com 

Sprout is a gifted educational after school program and summer camp in Chicago and Evanston for gifted children in early childhood, 4 & 5 years old; and school age groups, 6-12 years old. The focus is on socialization and academic enrichment. Sprout Gifted Services also offers support group meetings for parents using the SENG model and consulting services to help your family find the best schools to meet your gifted child’s needs. In addition, we offer one to one academic enrichment tutoring to fill your child’s needs.

StoryStudio Chicago
4043 N. Ravenswood, Suite #222
Chicago, IL 60613
Youth Institute contact: M. Molly Backes
773.477.7710 
E-mail: info@storystudiochicago.com 

StoryStudio Chicago, Chicago's premier center for writing and the related arts, offers two week-long summer creative writing camps in two age groups: grades 6-8, and grades 9-10 although high school juniors or seniors are also welcome.

Xilin Asian Community Center: Children’s Education
Arlington Heights, Pilsen - Chicago, Chinatown - Chicago, Naperville, Elgin

Xilin offers after-school, Chinese, summer, college-prep, and international programs. It is the premier provider of Chinese language and cultural programs and academic enrichment programs for the public. With the growing demand for Chinese language instruction, Xilin offers a unique program for those families looking for academic and cultural enrichment. Their instruction will prepare students to take advantage of the economic, academic, and cultural opportunities that come with understanding the world’s fastest growing economy and speaking the language of nearly one quarter of the world's population.

The BizWorld Foundation
San Francisco, CA 94104

BizWorld.org offers educators hands-on, engaging programs that teach students the skills they need for a successful future. All of our programs teach valuable lessons about entrepreneurship, business, and financial responsibility while emphasizing the importance of 21st century skills like collaboration, critical thinking, leadership, and creativity. In each program, students work in teams to solve real-world problems. Programs may be subsidized but not free.

Free Virtual Summer Camps

This is a guide to keep kids entertained and educated. A variety of free virtual summer camps are listed that children can easily sign up for the summer at no cost. The virtual summer camps cover just about any topic that children might be interested in including things like coding, robotics, mathematics, art, reading, and writing.

At-home Learning Resources for Kids

Living room turned into a makeshift classroom? Mensa is here to help with hand-selected lessons and activities for cooped-up kids.