Supporting campers with special needs starts long before they arrive at camp. Parents are often your best source of insight into the routines and communication strategies that help their children succeed. When you treat families as partners instead of simply gathering information during registration, you build the trust necessary to create a positive camp experience.

Understanding the Growing Need

Because today’s camps serve more diverse groups of campers than ever before, establishing strong ties with parents is vital to ensuring an inclusive experience. According to a 2022 national report, almost one in six kids in the United States aged 3 to 17 was diagnosed with a developmental disability between 2014 and 2018 (Cogswell et al., 2022). As more families look for programs that meet their children’s special needs, camp providers are increasingly expected to make careful adjustments and provide individualized support.

The demand is rising, especially among youngsters with autism. Recent estimates suggest that autism now affects about one in 31 kids (Behavioral Innovations, 2023), which is why inclusive practices have become a priority for camps serving today’s families. Instead of thinking of parents as a source of paperwork or last-minute queries, think of them as valued partners who know what helps their children feel comfortable. That common understanding provides a stronger foundation for great camp experiences and helps staff feel more prepared and confident throughout the program.

Design a Purposeful Intake Process

Intake is your first opportunity to build trust with families. A well-thought-out intake form allows you to obtain the information your staff will actually utilize during the camp session.

Go Beyond Medical History

Move beyond diagnoses and accommodations and ask questions that help you understand your campers as people. Parents know what inspires their children, what causes stress, and what strategies have worked both at home and at school. Those insights may be worth more than a diagnosis alone.

Consider including open-ended questions such as:

• What are your child’s biggest strengths?
• What activities or interests help them feel engaged and confident?
• How does your child typically communicate when they are excited, overwhelmed, or frustrated?
• Are there specific sensory triggers or situations we should be aware of?
• What calming strategies or supports work best when your child becomes upset?
• What is the number-one thing you want our counselors to know about your child before camp begins?

Treat Intake as the Beginning of the Conversation

Think of the intake form as the foundation for continued collaboration with parents. The information can drive staff training, help counselors to be prepared for specific needs, and identify needed follow-up talks before the first day of camp. The more time you spend in this first stage, the more secure your counselors will be, and the more reassurance families will have that their children will be truly seen.

Conduct a Precamp Consultation

A completed intake form should not be the end of your contact with parents. A brief phone or video chat before camp can be a good chance to go over the basics and start to establish a relationship of trust. This chat officially launches your collaboration and helps both the family and staff feel more prepared for the first day.

Confirm the Details That Matter Most

Use the consultation to review the information supplied on the intake form and discuss any areas that may need extra context. Also, you can describe how your camp aims to support the camper and what parents can expect during the session. In these interactions, minor but meaningful things often come up that would not have been included on a form.

A simple agenda for the call may include:

• Review the camper’s strengths, interests, and support needs.
• Confirm communication preferences and any recent changes.
• Discuss potential concerns and how staff will respond if challenges arise.
• Explain how and when parents will receive updates during camp.
• End by asking, “Is there anything else you think we should know or want to emphasize before your child arrives?”

Focus on Building Rapport

The consultation is aimed at making parents feel heard and letting them know their child will receive support from professionals who want to work with them. By taking the time to listen to and value parents’ expertise, the foundation is built for open communication throughout the camp experience. When families know they have a trusted point of contact, they may be more inclined to disclose concerns early and cooperate with you to find solutions.

Prepare Your Staff and Environment

The knowledge you get from parents is only useful when translated into practical strategies for your team. Counselors should enter camp with a firm understanding of each camper’s strengths, communication style, sensory needs, and effective ways to support. Avoid expecting them to memorize long intake forms, and develop a short, one-page profile for each camper that highlights the information they’ll use daily.

Ongoing research continues to validate the value of attentive staff preparation. Training new hires on accessible outdoor camp standards boosts confidence, improves camper safety, and promotes a camp’s culture of inclusiveness, according to a capstone project at Western Michigan University (Wong, 2025). Taking the time to prepare counselors is more than a best practice; it has a tangible impact on results for both campers and staff.

Create Easy-to-Use Camper Profiles

A one-page “snapshot” delivers the information staff are most likely to need at their fingertips throughout the day. They can immediately reference a camper’s preferred communication techniques, sensory triggers, regulating strategies, interests, successful behavior supports, and any relevant medical or safety reminders. This keeps the information concise and user-friendly so counselors can reply with confidence, knowing all of them are operating from the same understanding of each camper’s needs.

Prepare the Environment Before Camp Begins

Parents often recognize simple changes that can make a big difference for their child. Use their comments to make adjustments proactively before campers arrive, such as creating a quiet room for sensory breaks or identifying activities that may need additional support. When your staff arrive at camp with practical tools and an environment that meets campers’ needs, they’ll be able to spend less time reacting to issues and more time helping every camper feel included.

Establish Communication Protocols

Communication has to be strong once camp starts. Parents feel better when they know how they will be updated, who to contact with questions, and when to expect to hear from your team. Start setting these expectations early to help minimize misunderstandings and allow everyone to focus on supporting the campers’ experience.

There is research to back up the value of a comprehensive communication plan. A 2023 survey of 165 parents of children with disabilities indicated that their trust was significantly related to the professionals’ communication skills. The researchers also discovered that face-to-face contact was one of the strongest predictors of trust, emphasizing the importance of building connections through clear, consistent interactions rather than merely reaching out when problems arise (Hamm & Mousseau, 2023).

Create a Communication Plan

Explain to parents how your team will interact during the session prior to camp starting. Tell them how often you’ll update them, whether you’ll communicate via email, parent app, phone call, or other manner, and when you will need to contact them immediately. Setting those expectations offers families a sense of security that they will be kept in the loop and helps staff communicate uniformly across all campers.

Communication should highlight triumphs, not just issues. Sharing a snapshot of a camper trying something new or achieving a personal milestone tells parents they’re doing well. Trust is built incrementally with positive updates, giving a more balanced picture of the camper’s experience. As difficulties develop, families are more apt to treat camp personnel as partners, because a good basis for communication already exists.

Adopt a Collaborative Problem-Solving Method

Even when you prepare well, issues may still arise at camp. When they do, treat the talk with the parents as a chance to fix the situation together instead of explaining what went wrong. A collaborative approach facilitates open communication and makes families feel like valued members of the support team.

When discussing a concern with parents, follow this simple four-step process:

1. Share the observation. Begin by describing what happened using objective, factual language. For example, saying, “We noticed that your child became overwhelmed during swim time today” focuses on the behavior without placing blame or making assumptions. This helps parents understand the situation without feeling defensive.
2. Inquire with curiosity. Invite parents to share their perspective by asking questions such as, “Does this ever happen at home?” or “What strategies have worked well in similar situations?” Parents often have insights that help staff respond more effectively because they know what has worked in other settings.
3. Cocreate a strategy. Work together to develop a plan for the next day or the next activity. You could say, “Let’s try offering a quieter transition before swim time. What do you think?” Collaborating on solutions helps ensure everyone is working toward the same goal and gives parents confidence that their input matters.
4. Follow up. After trying the agreed-upon strategy, let parents know how it worked and discuss whether any adjustments are needed. Following up closes the communication loop, demonstrates that you value parents’ expertise, and reinforces that supporting the camper is an ongoing partnership rather than a one-time conversation.

Manage Disagreements and Mismatched Expectations

Even the strongest partnerships will occasionally have disputes. Parents and camp staff might not have the same views on accommodations, communication, or what can be done in a camp setting. The idea is to have difficult conversations with respect, empathy, and a shared commitment to the camper’s success.

Research backs this collaborative approach. A 2025 study in the European Journal of Special Needs Education found that a welcoming atmosphere and high-quality parent-professional collaboration were associated with better parent engagement and motivation (Grüter et al., 2025). The findings suggest that maintaining relationships, even amid challenging conversations, leads to stronger ties over time:

• Listen for the underlying concern. If a parent asks for something that cannot be fulfilled, work to understand why they are asking. The request is often a symptom of broader anxiety about their child’s safety and ability to participate. Listening first helps you understand the need behind the request and to reply with more thoughtfulness.
• Find the “yes.” If you must say no to a specific request, try to find another solution to meet the parent’s underlying concern. For instance, your camp may not be able to offer a dedicated one-on-one counselor, but you might be able to assign a steady buddy or tweak the camper’s daily schedule. Offering an alternative solution demonstrates that you want to work together.
• Let policy guide the conversation. If camp policies limit what you can give, explain instead of just saying no. Safety, staffing, and the well-being of all campers are rules that assist families in recognizing that these decisions are made to foster a healthy and inclusive environment for all. Even if expectations are not aligned, courteous communication and a problem-solving attitude can grow the partnership.

Create Stronger Partnerships for Better Camp Experiences

Creating an inclusive camp experience begins with building strong relationships with parents. By listening thoughtfully, communicating openly, and working together to solve challenges, you can create an environment where campers with special needs feel supported, and staff are better prepared to help every child succeed.

Photos courtesy of Camp ASCCA, Jacksons Gap, AL.

References

Behavioral Innovations. (2023, November 9). The rising rates of autism: Understanding the latest statistics. behavioral-innovations.com/blog/rising-rates-of-autism/

Cogswell, M. E., Coil, E., Tian, L. H., Tinker, S. C., Ryerson, A. B., Maenner, M. J., Rice, C. E., & Peacock, G. (2022). Health needs and use of services among children with developmental disabilities — United States, 2014–2018. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 71(12), 453–458. doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7112a3

Grüter, S., Lütje-Klose, B., Wild, E., & Fritzler, N. J. (2025). Empowering parents of students with and without learning difficulties to collaborate with schools: how are family–school partnerships related to parents’ motivational beliefs? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 40(4), 605–621. doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2024.2402168

Hamm, J. E., & Mousseau, A. D. (2023). Predicting parent trust based on professionals' communication skills. Education Sciences, 13(4), 350. doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040350

Romualdo, A., Ribeiro, S., de Oliveira, A. M., & de Souza, S. R. (2023). Inclusive education, public policies and teacher training in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Sciences, 13(4), 350. doi:10.3390/educsci13040350

Wong, D. (2025, April). Enhancing staff training and safety for campers with disabilities at an accessible outdoor camp. Capstone Projects. scholarworks.wmich.edu/capstone_projects/151/

Tessa Dodson is the senior writer for Classrooms.com and covers education-related content. She has volunteered with summer camps to support learners of all ages, where she discovered her passion for creating meaningful experiences to help students grow and thrive. With additional experience as a middle school teacher’s assistant, she brings a deep understanding of how transformative outdoor and camp experiences can shape lifelong learning and confidence.