Tip of the Week from the American Camp Association

About
ACA

Media
Tip
from the American Camp Association
June 19, 2008

School's
NOT Out for Summer:

Five Reasons Why
Summer Camp Provides Crucial Enrichment
Experiences for Kids

Fear not parents. The beginning of summer
doesn't have to mean the end of learning
and enrichment for your child. On the contrary,
between the tremendous growth in academic-focused summer
camps nationwide and the key life skills
that traditional summer camps have always
fostered in kids — including leadership,
interpersonal skills, appreciation for
the arts and the environment, independence,
and personal responsibility — the
camp experience will spark remarkable growth
in over 10 million children across the
country this summer. Here
are five reasons why your child should
be one of them:

1. Camps Don't "Teach to the Test": "What
   we are seeing is that schools today are
   increasingly "teaching to the test" and
   in the process stripping out invaluable
   parts of their curriculums such as theater,
   dance, art and music programs, and physical
   education. Parents are looking to summer
   camps to provide their children with
   a creative outlet that will positively
   shape the adults they become." 
   
    - Peg L. Smith, ACA CEO
   
   
2. Learn to Love and Respect the Natural
   World: "There is a real danger
   that our children's generation won't
   pick up the environmental mantle since
   they are spending a record-low number
   of hours in nature. Summer camps educate
   our kids about the need for environmental
   stewardship and instill a sense of
   shared responsibility to care for the
   natural world. Compared to a classroom
   setting, what better place is there
   to do this than singing around a campfire,
   paddling across a lake, or hiking along
   a mountain trail?"
   
   - Peter Surgenor, ACA President
   
   
3. Camp is a place for every child
   to learn: "Nationwide there
   has been a 78 percent increase in camps
   with academic programs in the last
   nine years and a 40 percent increase
   in ACA-Accredited® camps offering
   performing arts programs over the last
   five years. So, whether your child
   is a math and science whiz or a budding
   thespian, there is a camp that will
   value and foster your child's unique
   talents and interests."
   
   – Ann Sheets, Former ACA President
   
   
4. It's about the learning, not the
   grading: "In school, children
   study hard and push themselves — and
   often overstress themselves — for
   a grade and performance measurement.
   While grades are important during the
   school year, what camp provides is
   a unique learning opportunity — a
   chance to explore and learn without
   fear of a grade. The summer camp experience
   is truly one of discovery, connection,
   and growth."
   
   - Peg L. Smith, ACA CEO
   
   
5. Numbers don't lie:  A 2005
   ACA study shows that the summer camp
   experience is a truly positive force
   in the development of key life skills
   for children including leadership, independence,
   acceptance of others, and self-esteem.
   The study reported the following:
   
   
   • 70 percent of parents reported their children
     were "different" after camp, mostly because they
     gained more self-confidence or self-esteem through their camp
     experience.
   • More than 96 percent of the parents agreed with
     the statement "The people at camp helped my child feel
     good about him/herself," and 92 percent of campers agreed
     that people at camp helped them feel good about who they were.
   • Children reported a significant increase in their
     own independence and an increase in leadership skills from
     pre-camp to post-camp.
   • 93 percent of campers agreed that "Camp
     helped me get to know kids who are different from me."

Contact Public Relations at 765.349.3317
or pr@ACAcamps.org to
interview an ACA
spokesperson for more information on
ways the camp experience enhances the lives
of children, teens, and adults.

Also, for customizable public
service announcements or article
reprints, visit our Media
Center.

About ACA

The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance
the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs
ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally
challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps
that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.

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