CircEsteem invites you to join us for another year of circus fun! We have a number of programs available this Fall for kids of all ages! For after school activities, we have our HomeWork & CircusWork program, located at our CircEsteem Headquarters (4848 N Sheridan) as well as in eight different school across the city of Chicago, we offer homework help and then dive right into learning exciting circus skills! The fun keeps going on the weekends when we have our Chicago Youth Circus program, also located at our Headquarters in Uptown and (temporarily) located at the beautiful Seward Park! Check out our website for information on these amazing programs!
*Covid Precautions: Since the beginning of the pandemic, CircEsteem has made every effort to keep our community's best interest balanced with recommended and reasonable safety precautions at the forefront of our decision making and policy development procedures. CircEsteem has heard feedback from our staff and community requesting us to move slowly in our response to COVID guidelines as recommended by the CDC and CDPH. We did this by requiring masks throughout the summer for all of our summer programs. Additionally, we convened a COVID Task Force made up of several staff members and a board member (and Alumni) with medical expertise. This Task Force has met throughout the summer to discuss various guidelines and recommendations and how they fit into CircEsteem's programming.
The COVID Task Force has come up with the following guidelines, in accordance with CDC and CDPH guidelines, for CircEsteem.
- Masks will be optional for all students and staff. We hope that our community will keep in mind the agreement of "Respect yourself and others", which includes respecting others' choices to mask, or not to mask. Both options are welcome and will be respected by all staff, students, and families.
- If a student or staff member is experiencing symptoms, they must stay home. We recommend taking an at-home COVID-19 test.
- If a student or staff member has been exposed to COVID-19, a mask must be worn for 10 days and the individual tested on day 5 after exposure.
- COVID-19 self tests are available for use if a youth or staff member is experiencing symptoms. If a parent/guardian does not want their youth to be given a self-test at CircEsteem, they must email the program coordinator of that program to opt-out.
- All employees of CircEsteem will be fully vaccinated.
- Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and masks will be readily available throughout the building.
Thank you for being part of this community and we look forward to continuing to grow together!
Business Review
"Ask a an almost 6 year old how many stars and he says: 'GIVE IT SIX!'"
"We recently hosted a group birthday party at CircEsteem for a group of 7 year olds and it was such a fun and unique experience. The planning was straightforward and I appreciated all of the interesting choices to make our party fun (face painter & snow cone machine!) The teaching artists were energetic, patient, and kept the kids engaged for the 90 minutes promised. Adding on a face painter was a fun option for when the kids wanted a break. Overall, we were very happy with our party at CircEsteem and if you're looking for a unique, structured party, this is the way to go!"
"An amazing and inclusive organization! Social and Emotional Learning always seems to be put last in traditional education these days, but not at CircEsteem. They are such a great asset to the community."
"What an AMAZING organization! CircEsteem really focuses on inclusion and self-esteem for its participants. The youths of Chicago are lucky to have this organization, and the community is as well to witness the smiling faces and impressive skills at performances. If you have not yet attended a CircEsteem event, do yourself a favor and GO!"
