March 2020.

Schools closing. Childcare shutting down. A public health crisis. The country grinding to a halt.

Camps were expected to close by default.

There was no way CDC could produce camp-specific guidance before summer started. They were managing a catastrophe. Camps were not the priority.

Without that guidance, state health authorities would not allow camps to open. The entire sector faced an existential threat.

We had a choice: wait and hope, or act.

Choosing to Act

Government doesn't move quickly during a crisis of that magnitude. If we waited for guidance to come to us, it would arrive too late.

So ACA did something we had never done before.

We partnered with public health experts connected to the Harvard School of Public Health, asking them simple questions:

Given what we knew about COVID in Spring of 2020, could camps operate safely during this pandemic? And if so, how?

Over six weeks, we built something unprecedented.

A practical Field Guide covering every aspect of camp operations. Not vague principles. Actual day-by-day, category-by-category instructions for running a camp safely during COVID. With hindsight, many of those instructions and restrictions might not have been necessary. But back then, given what the world believed about that virus, the Field Guide became the gold standard for how to operate safely.

We needed outside credibility. We needed experts to tell us it was possible and then show us how.

They did.

The Field Guide Changed Everything

CDC included our core guidance approach as the basis for their official guidance.

Many state health departments across the country adopted it in some version or another. Other youth-serving organizations used it. After-school programs used it. Independent schools used it.

It became the document thousands turned to.

In 2020, 85% of overnight camps still couldn't open. The restrictions were too severe and the timing just too tight. About 60% of day camps managed to operate that summer.

Fast-forward to 2021, while COVID was still very much with us, 95% of overnight camps opened their doors.

The Field Guide was critical in reopening those camps. Without it, who knows what would have happened to our entire field and to the kids and families we serve?

The Financial Battle

Even with camps reopening, the sector was financially devastated.

And PPP, the federal lifeline keeping struggling businesses alive, originally excluded summer seasonal employers.

That would have been catastrophic for camps.

ACA went to work.

We didn't just get camps included in PPP. We got the structure optimized for how our seasonal businesses actually operate. The result: PPP yields for camps increased by a factor of two or three versus most other sectors.

Those dollars allowed thousands of camps to survive a year that could have destroyed them.

A Mindset Shift

This was incredibly audacious.

ACA had never done anything like this before.

Previously, our advocacy was mostly reactive. Something bad happens, we scramble to respond. We show up (sometimes a bit late) and ask for help.

During COVID, we led.

We didn't wait for policy to come to us. We shaped it. We weren't asking for permission. We were providing solutions.

Policymakers saw a sector that was mission-driven, capable, and fast.

Camp was no longer a "nice to have." We had proven ourselves essential.

Why This Matters Now

COVID proved we could move mountains.

But we were improvising under fire. Building relationships from scratch. Making the case for camp in the middle of a crisis when everyone was overwhelmed.

What if the infrastructure had already been in place?

What if relationships with policymakers were already there?

The Congressional Camp Caucus is us building that infrastructure.

So the next time a crisis hits, we're not improvising. We're leading from day one.

So when legislation gets written that affects camps, we're already in the room.

So the sector that proved itself during COVID has a permanent voice in Washington.

We learned something important about ourselves during COVID.

When camps speak up, people listen. When we lead, things change.

That's not a lesson we intend to forget.

Join the movement. Get updates on the Camp Caucus and learn how you can support camp advocacy in DC.

Scott Brody is ACA’s Government Affairs co-chair and leads the association’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC. He served as ACA National Board Chair during the COVID-19 crisis, helping guide camps nationwide through safe reopening while securing unprecedented federal support. A camp director for more than 30 years, Scott is Director Emeritus of Camps Kenwood & Evergreen and owner of Everwood Day Camp and Camp Sewataro. He has dedicated his career to advancing the life-changing impact of camp and championing its value on a national stage.

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