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For 50 years the accreditation process
has grown to keep pace with changes in the
camp industry, expectations of the public,
and the challenges of operating a business
in today's highly regulated society.
American Camping Association standards help
you with every aspect of your camp management
and operation:
- Site:
fire protection, food service, sleeping
quarters, bathing and toilet facilities.
- Transportation:
procedures concerning drivers, vehicles,
and traffic on site.
- Health and
Wellness: staff qualifications,
facilities requirements, record keeping,
storage distribution of medicines, contact
information, health forms.
- Operational
Management: Safety regulations,
emergency communication systems, procedures
for intruders, personal property regulations.
- Human Resources:
staff qualifications, training, supervision
ratios, and procedures.
- Program
Activities: aquatics, adventure/challenge,
trips, horseback riding, staff qualifications
for special programs.
Mandatory standards include requirements
for emergency exits, first aid, aquatic-certified
personnel, storage and use of flammables
and firearms, emergency transportation,
and obtaining appropriate health information.
To see a brief summary of the standards,
take a look at the Standards
At A Glance.
A variety of materials
are available to help you understand and
comply with ACA standards.
What Accreditation
Can and Can't Do
While standards focus on health and safety
practices, accreditation cannot guarantee
that the camper will be absolutely free
from harm. Accreditation can indicate to
the public that the camp administration
has voluntarily allowed its practices to
be compared with the standards established
by professionals in the camping industry.
At least once every three years an outside
team of trained camping professionals visits
the camp to verify compliance with the standards.
Unlike inspections by state licensing bodies,
ACA accreditation is voluntary. ACA cannot
close or otherwise penalize an entity that
is not meeting its accreditation criteria,
except for the removal of the accreditation
status. Licensing focuses on the enforcement
of minimum standards. Accreditation focuses
on education and evaluation of one's operation
and can help you go beyond the minimum requirements
of licensing.
ACA standards identify practices considered
basic to quality camping. They cannot, however,
require all programs to look alike. The
ACA-accreditation programs serve a broad
range of facilities and programs: some primitive,
some rustic, others highly developed. Each
will have addressed in its own way the concerns
identified by the standards.
Many types of camps
and programs seek ACA accreditation
such as camps who operate day and resident
camp sessions, travel and trip programs,
school camps and environmental education
programs, and camps with special program
emphases (e.g., sports, academic, therapeutic,
religious). Many of these camps also offer
facilities and services to other program
operators.
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