Educational Alliances

An Educational Alliance is a collaboration with an entity that participates in a reciprocal exchange of programs/services with ACA, or that works with ACA toward a common educational goal. Most educational alliances are defined through a memorandum of understanding or other such agreement. Examples of educational alliances include partnerships with universities, associations, nonprofits, and businesses seeking to make educational content available to expanded audiences.

  • 4-H (4-H National Headquarters, National 4-H Council): Dissemination of ACA’s research, educational resources, and quality assessment products and programs.
  • After-School All-Stars (ASAS): ACA and ASAS share a commitment to provide high quality out-of-school time experiences and educational resources for youth development professionals.  As part of the educational alliance, ACA and ASAS will work collaboratively to educate their respective audiences about the resources and opportunities relevant to our constituents.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP provides expert review of selected ACA forms and advocates for the importance of nature-based experiences for children. 
  • American Red Cross: ARC and ACA provide expert review of each other’s materials
  • America's Promise:  ACA is a partner in the America's Promise "Grad Nation" initiative- a national movement to mobilize Americans to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce.
  • Association of Camp Nurses (ACN):  A professional nursing organization working toward healthier camp communities by supporting the practice of camp nursing.   ACN has closely supported ACA in implementation of the Healthy Camp Study- a 5-year monitoring study of injuries and illnesses in camps.
  • Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT): An educational alliance in areas concerning the use of challenge courses at camps.
  • Boy Scouts of America Inc:  A BSA representative serves on ACA’s children, nature, and camps advisory committee; ACA and BSA provide expert review of organizational survey research. 
  • Camp Fire USA:  Support for ACA’s Camp2Grow youth leadership and environmental stewardship program.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Develop and disseminate health information concerning youth safety and health.
  • Children and Nature Network:  Promote the importance of nature for children; joint promotion of ACA’s “Green Spoken Here” program; reconnect children and nature by sharing articles and research; develop nature-based education tools for parents/families.
  • ecoAmerica- ACA collaborates with ecoAmerica on Nature Rocks, a national campaign to promote the importance of nature for healthier, happier, smarter children.
  • Girl Scouts of the USA:  Collaboration on research and scholarly activities. 
  • Indiana University (School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation): ACA and IU are collaborating on a state-level research project to explore the developmental outcomes of camp experiences for special youth populations.
  • Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development : ACA and The Innovation Center are developing online professional development opportunities for youth development professionals.
  • Leave No Trace: Assist ACA in providing quality environmental stewardship education programs for camp and youth professionals.
  • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: Protect Screen collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct criminal history background checks for ACA programs.
  • National Collaboration for Youth:  National Collaboration for Youth (NCY) is the longest-standing coalition of national organizations committed to advocating with and on behalf of youth and, in particular, in research-driven “positive youth development”.
  • National FFA: Cross promotion and marketing of educational resources as part of the Camp2Grow program; Co-brand a leadership and environmental stewardship curriculum designed for camps and other youth development programs.
  • National Recreation and Park Association:  Development of joint ACA/NRPA online education courses and webinars and promotion of selected national programs/initiatives
  • National Summer Learning Association: Promotion of the importance of summer learning experiences for all children; communications, marketing, and outreach to improve youth development outcomes and implement youth program quality assessment/tools; collaboration on a training program around nature-based youth programming.
  • North Carolina State University: Collaborates with ACA on grant proposals related to children’s active lifestyles.
  • Ohio State University- Nationwide Children’s Hospital:  Collaboration on ACA’s healthy camp study of injuries and illnesses in US day and resident camps.
  • Outdoor Afro:  Outdoor Afro supports ACA’s efforts to better reach diverse populations with information about the camp experience.
  • Penn State University, College of Health and Human Development: Developing a collaborative tool to improve decision-making in youth; seeking funding from National Institute on Drug Abuse.
  • The Redwoods Group:  Developing a webinar serires for the camp and youth development communities.
  • Secret Millionaires Club (through “By Kids For Kids”):  ACA is working with By Kids For Kids to promote the youth financial literacy program called Secret Millionaires Club.
  • Teach for America: Provide a continuum of care in the areas of youth development and leadership from camp age through early employment; promote ACA membership and camp employment to TFA applicants; disseminate educational materials about the camp experience to students in schools where TFA teachers are placed. 
  • Texas A&M University (TAMU): TAMU has provided technology supported for ACA’s e-Institute online learning center.  ACA and TAMU are also collaborating on new research to explore the workforce development outcomes of the camp experience for camp staff.
  • The Nature Conservancy: ACA is serving on the advisory committee for TNC’s national survey of youth ages 13-17 around nature/conservation/stewardship.
  • University of Arizona:  ACA and University of Arizona 4-H are producing a Family Camp Best Practices Guide to promote family functioning and a greater connection to nature among youth and families.
  • University of Georgia, College of Education: Online course development for ACA’s e-Institute.  Examples include “Designing Quality Youth Programs,” “Creating Positive Youth Outcomes,” and the upcoming “Volunteer Development 101.”
  • University of Utah, Center for Health Sciences:  Development and testing of ACA’s Youth Outcomes Battery; Research to identify factors that lead to positive youth outcomes.
  • Virginia Tech:  Partner in family camp impacts research and dissemination.
  • WGBH-Public Broadcasting, Boston, MA:  Dissemination of the “Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman” program to ACA camps, sponsored by a National Science Foundation grant dissemination or linking agreement.
  • Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (formerly High/Scope):  Co-brand a tool for measuring camp quality including the unique nature-based setting of camp (C-YPQA).
  • YMCA of the USA: YMCA has supported the development of ACA’s Camp Program Quality Assessment and assisted ACA in piloting national grants and national programs like the Explore 30 Camp Reading Program.

 » Become a Partner or Educational Ally

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