On The Go Chicago

When I saw my calendar reminder this morning regarding Monday’s Spring Chicago Park District Class registration, my first thought was YEAH…Spring!  Just the thought of Spring coming puts a smile on my face, and so does the opportunity to sign my kiddos up for great classes at a fraction of the price of most classes in Chicago.

As I mention in my Winter Park District Class blog, you need to be online and ready to register at 9am opening day (Monday, February 22nd).  There are also a few tricks for improving your chances of getting in.  I got the tips below from a couple different Park District employees, and they worked like a charm for my winter class wish list.

• If you have not already, sign up for an account with the Chicago Park District.  It is free and allows you to build a “Wish List” and register online.
• Once you are logged in, you can search the  Spring Classes by age group, park name, program type or zip code.
• The Spring Program runs from March 29th through June 6th.
• Once you’ve identified the classes you are interested in, put them in your Wish List.  Although this does not save a spot for you, it allows you to register for them more quickly when online registration opens on February 22nd at 9am.
• On February 22nd at 8:45 log in to your account, click on to your Wish List, pick the class you most want to register for and enter your child’s name.
• When the clock strikes 9am, click register and then move on to the next class in your Wish List.
• You can enter multiple names into the registration option.  Which is great if you want to register siblings or your child’s friends in the same class.
• You have 30 minutes to complete payment for your classes.  If you don’t complete the payment portion within that time frame, you lose your spot.
• One Park District employee told me that you should try multiple times if a class comes up full.  Apparently their system gets a bit overloaded and will show classes are full if too many people are accessing them at once. Also, if people fail to pay within 30 minutes, the spots open back up.  This past winter two of the classes in my Wish List showed up as full, but I kept trying every couple minutes.  I ultimately got into all of the classes I had on my Wish List.
• If you are still not able to get into the class you’ve selected, put yourself on the waiting list.  I’ve spoken to a couple people at the Park District, and they all confirm that lots of people get in via the waiting list.
• If you have questions about specific class descriptions or their sibling policy, I recommend calling the actual park where the class is held.  Each park has their own class curriculums and policies.
• Please note that they charge a 15% fee for all refunds.

Good Luck!