As part of our series of articles for this year’s National Recreation & Park Association theme “Where You Belong”, we had an inspiring conversation with Lesley Haycock about her busy summer of family fun at the Park District.

Lesley Haycock is busy this summer. When we caught up with her it was the first day of Park District Camps for two of her three daughters: Skyler who is 5½ and Riley, who is 3½. Zoey, the oldest at 8½, is going to Discovery Day Camp this year. That’s just the beginning of the busy summer season for the whole family. “We like to take advantage of so many great things the Park District offers,” said Lesley. 

On any given day, that includes spending time at Rosewood Beach, “We always get Beach Passes.” Her number one tip: “Arrive early if you want a parking spot!” Yes, we hear that a lot. “We also get our annual pass for the pool, because we’re there almost every weekend.” We hear that a lot too, and it’s why belonging to Hidden Creek AquaPark is such a great way to connect with friends and meet new families. 

ParkSchool was the focus of our conversation, because Skyler just graduated from Mighty Oaks, and Riley will be a Sapling this fall. “Then she’ll move up and be a Mighty Oak the next year.” Why ParkSchool? “We had heard such great things about it from the community—not a bad word from anyone. They raved about the teachers, and one of the things I really liked was the small class size, so we knew our kids would get the attention they needed to be ready for Kindergarten.” Lesley added, “I know you’ve heard it before, but Miss Ginny is amazing! Miss Samia is following in her footsteps, and she’s just as amazing, so I feel excited, and confident, and comforted that kids will have her moving forward.” 

In case you have not heard, our Miss Ginny retired in June. We have a story about her on our website. 

Everything grows at ParkSchool. “We’ve done lots of the afterschool Enrichment programs at West Ridge,” Lesley said. “The KidoKinetics class is wonderful because it exposes them to so many different sports. I think the first day they played Lacrosse”—she laughed—”which is something I never would have taught my 3½ year old. It was awesome!” That’s one of the most important things about growing up in Park District programs. Beginners get the attention they need in order to love what they’re learning. “We’ve done Clay Play, and the girls love the weekly mini-camps that happen between the end of school and the start of summer camps. “We’re going to do those again in August.” Zoey did the Sewing and Fashion design camp, “which was fabulous.” “She really wanted to learn to run a sewing machine, and these are the only classes for kids in the area. There was a fashion show at the end, and she loved it!” We see Project Runway in your future, Zoey. “I was able to drop Skyler off at the same location for her cooking class. The times line up and that makes it so convenient.” We try hard to make that happen for parents year-round, and we’re happy that it’s working. 

Zoey also wants to learn to play chess (watch out world), and this August will be in our Chess Camp. “I don’t know where that came from,” laughed Lesley, “and it’s so great that the Park District teaches my kids things that I can’t!” “She also took Fencing in the spring, which is another thing that’s hard to find for young kids.” Fashion, Fencing, and Chess. You won’t find that combination for an 8½ year old anywhere but here. Zoey is truly the epitome of what we call a park district kid. 

Lesley offered the perfect description of what we’re all about: “It really is a place to try out so many different things, when you’re little, and see what you’re passionate about.” We loved hearing that.

Connections? “Skyler made some really close friends in her ParkSchool class. They would have play dates every few weeks, and one of them is going to Kindergarten with her in the fall, so I’m thrilled that she’ll have a buddy there.” “It’s really important for us to meet and know people in the community. In fact, we switched Zoey from gymnastics in Lake Forest to the Highland Park Gymnastics Pre-Team for the sole reason of meeting kids from the area. It’s that important.” “And I get together with the other moms. We’ve been out to dinner and had barbeques—so the connections through our kids are strong.” 

We love the stories Lesley told us. They are about belonging, connecting, and caring about the community. We’re proud to be a part of those stories, and we work hard every day to stay connected to all of you.

If you have a story or two that you’d like to share, let us know. Until then, you can find all of our summer programs, activities, and events 24/7 at PDHP.org. 

See you around the parks!