Camp Crisis Hotline

The ACA Camp Crisis Hotline is a 24 hour a day service to all ACA camps. The Hotline serves as a resource for camps in crisis and provides callers the opportunity to talk through their crisis with a trained third-party. While the hotline is not a medical nor legal "expert" call line – it can help you think through your issues and discuss options.

Top Resources

The ACA Camp Crisis Hotline was established in 1986.  After more than 25 years of serving camps, the Hotline Team has found a number of go-to resources that seem to be popular year-after-year.  We share these resources to help you prepare for your camp season: 

• Crisis Communications (including samples and templates): ACA Communications Toolkit
• Allegations of Abuse at Home: ACA Child Abuse Recognition and Prevention Resources
  • Child Abuse Reporting Phone Numbers by State
  • Understanding the Mandated Reporter Laws
  • In the Trenches: When Campers Disclose Abuse
• Allegations of Camper to Camper Abuse: ACA Child Abuse Recognition and Prevention Resources
  • Bullying Resources
  • Do Children Sexually Abuse Other Children? Stop It Now
  • Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth Serving Organizations US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning Resources
• Medical and Health Issues
  • American Association of Poison Control Centers
  • Bed Bugs
  • Communicable Diseases and Infestations
  • Cutting
  • Foodborne Illness
  • Hantavirus
  • Heat Related Illness
  • Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever
  • Lice
  • Management and Administration of Medication
  • Medical Marijuana
  • MRSA Infections
  • Scabies
  • Ticks
  • Teen Pregnancy and Support
  • Water-borne Illness: Naegleria fowleri
  • West Nile Virus
• Searching the belongings of campers and/or staff
• Educational articles about Sudden Death
  • Tips to Help Children Deal with Death and Grief
  • Coping with the Death of a Camper or Staff Member
• Employment Issues
  • Best Practices with International Staff
  • Criminal Background Check Resources
  • Employment Laws in Your State
• Insurance
  • Key articles on camp insurance from ACA's CampLine and Camping Magazine publications

Annual Review of Lessons Learned

Each fall, the hotline team provides a written review of all of the lessons learned from the previous year of serving camps in crisis.  The review includes trends, data, and case studies for camps to use to prepare for future crises.  Learn from our previous years:

• 2012 Hotline Report (10/12)
• 2011 Hotline Report (10/11)
• 2010 Hotline Report (10/10)
• 2009 Hotline Report (10/09)
• 2008 Hotline Report (10/08)
• 2007 Hotline Report (10/07)
• 2006 Hotline Report (10/06)
• 2005 Hotline Report (10/05)