For nearly 40 years, ACA’s Camp Crisis Hotline has provided confidential crisis support to camps — regardless of their ACA membership or accreditation status — 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Hotline members, who are ACA staff with experience as camp professionals, well know that a camp crisis can happen when you least expect it. While not legal or medical experts, they provide resources, support, and a calm, third-party perspective when camps are facing a crisis, often helping callers identify where in their own policies and procedures they may find the way to address the situation. 

ACA tracks the trends and lessons learned from each confidential call and shares it annually to help camps reflect on their own practices as well as review and enhance their policies and procedures based on rising trends.

Categories of calls this year:

• Health and Medical — 34%
• Abuse Issues — 31%
• Personnel and Staff Issues — 10%
• Camper Behavior Issues — 9%
• Parent Behavior — 5%
• Business Operations — 7%
• Infestation — 3%

Top Trends

Continuation of a Multiyear Trend in Health/Medical Issues

Questions related to health and medical issues were for a third consecutive year the highest percentage of calls to the Hotline. Many of the calls on health and medical issues were related to normal illnesses, though the hotline saw fewer mental health-related calls than in previous years (15 percent in 2024 vs. 57 percent of health and medical-related calls in 2023). While the ACA Hotline team does not contain medical experts, we do have the experience to direct callers to the best information available, as well as collaborations with organizations such as the Alliance for Camp Health, to provide education and resources for camp professionals.

Calls within this category included:

• Infestations (lice, bedbugs, norovirus, typhoid, COVID, pink eye, mono, E. coli)
• Mental health (suicide ideation)
• Healthcare management during a shortage of healthcare staff
• Horses with ringworm
• Medication administration, including epi-pens, inhalers, and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines

In addition to maintaining clear policies and procedures to address health and medical issues, camps should have a strong support system to help address medical and mental health challenges as they arise during the summer.

Lessons Learned

• It is important to have clear crisis management policies, including the identification of a crisis manager who is not also managing camp. Establish and maintain proactive risk management plans and practices that address safety and provide practical direction on how to manage a crisis or challenging situation at your camp.
• Have health and medical resources readily available, including those related to communicable diseases. Before camp starts, identify the health and medical resources you may need when challenges occur at camp. Camp’s resources may range from on-site healthcare staff to community healthcare contacts, including those available through local health departments, and virtual resources such as mental health supports for camp staff.
• Maintain clear infestation policies. Infestations, including lice outbreaks, happen! Your healthcare staff should be trained in and prepared to implement your camp’s healthcare procedures that address infestations, including implications for your facilities and a set plan for communicating with families, staff, and other potential audiences.
• Understand your camp’s healthcare policies and procedures as well as your state’s laws around medication management. Determine the rules that apply to your camp and establish appropriate procedures prior to camper arrival.

Resources

• Emergency Services and Your Camp   
• Creating an Emergency Action Plan 
• Managing Health Services Resources 
• MESH Tips for Camps
• Communicable Diseases and Infestations - Tips for Camps | American Camp Association

 

Significant Increase in Calls About Abuse

A significant area of concern identified by the increased number of calls to the Hotline continues to be issues related to abuse. Many camp calls posed questions about what to report to child protection services and highlighted that not all camps have or are familiar with their policies around abuse and how to respond to abuse allegations. It was clear, too, that camps and their communities struggle with the emotional toll inherent in responding to abuse allegations and supporting campers and staff impacted by suspected abuse or neglect.

• 37% camper to camper abuse allegations
• 37% staff to camper or minor staff member allegations
• 19% abuse at home or by someone outside of camp
• Less than 1% staff to staff abuse allegations

Lessons Learned

• Understand your responsibilities as mandated reporters. Camps have a clear responsibility to protect the children in their care, and the law is clear — camps fall into the category of mandated reporters.
• Make sure your camp has clear policies around abuse and reporting that staff are trained on. Train your staff to identify signs of abuse and neglect and to question when they see or hear something that they know is not right.
• Know how to contact the appropriate authorities if  an allegation of abuse arises. Keep the phone number of your local child abuse reporting authority readily available.
• Develop a plan to provide support within your camp community to those impacted by suspected abuse and neglect. Prior to the camp season, identify resources you can access to support your camp community, such as those around mental health and wellness.

Resources

• Childwelfare.gov — How to Report Child Abuse and Neglect
• CDC Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention — About Child Abuse and Neglect
• Child Abuse and Neglect Resources — Child Welfare Information Gateway
• Resources for responding to allegation of abuse can be found in one place on the ACA website.

Continued Trend Related to Inappropriate Staff Behavior

Again in 2024, an overwhelming number of calls related to staff behavior came from camps seeking resources to help them make decisions regarding inappropriate behavior and the release of a staff person.

Calls within this category included:

• Responding to a missing staff member
• Staff members who failed a drug test
• A fight between staff members and resulting legal issues
• Staff members engaged in inappropriate activities

Lessons Learned

• Ensure your camp has access to employment legal counsel or an HR professional. Before your hiring cycle begins, identify a resource who can be contacted any time a situation occurs.
• Establish clear HR code of conduct policies, including setting, communicating, and enforcing clear policies about acceptable interactions between staff members at camp and during time off. Enforce those policies consistently to avoid potential risks such as legal action.
• Have a backup plan for staff coverage to ensure safe camper supervision ratios are maintained at all times, including during an emergency or staff shortage due to the loss of a staff member. Supervision ratios are critical to ensure the safety of your campers, and camps should not feel stuck between considering firing a staff member and maintaining appropriate staff supervision.

Resources

• Employment Laws in Your State
• Best Practices with International Staff
• Character Cultivation: Defining Character-Based Staff Practices | American Camp Association
• Managing Staff in the New Era of Summer Camp | American Camp Association
• Staff and Camper Codes of Conduct: A Powerful Defense against Abuse | American Camp Association

Camper Behavior Issues

Camps have an important responsibility to keep their camp communities safe, both physically and emotionally. Establishing clear expectations for campers, families, and staff can help prevent inappropriate interactions as well as communicate the camp’s response should an unsafe situation occur during camp.

Calls within this category included:

• Camper threats to harm others
• Inappropriate online interactions between a camper and an adult on the internet while at camp
• Campers taking inappropriate photos of other campers

Lessons Learned

• Develop and clearly communicate to campers, family, and staff policies addressing the use of technology at camp, including those personal devices whose use is prohibited.
• Review your camp’s security plan, ensuring provisions to respond to situations arising from threats within the camp community as well as external dangers.
• Know what your legal requirements are as a camp in loco parentis. Seek counsel from a legal expert to help you identify areas of risk and responsibility.

Resources

• Confessions of a Disciplinarian: How Managing Camper Behavior Can Save the Summer | American Camp Association
• Essential Behavior Skills Your Frontline Staff Will Need This Summer | American Camp Association
• Decoding Camper Behavior | American Camp Association
• Gan Israel — Creating a Successful Framework for Every Camper - Dealing with Difficult Campers | American Camp Association

Growth in Trend Around Parent Behavior

The support and involvement of parents and guardians can be vital to providing a positive camp experience, but when difficult parent behaviors occur it can be very difficult for camps to maintain those supportive relationships. Parents want the best for their children, yet sometimes what starts as concern shows up as conflict. 

Calls within this category included:

• Concerns about gender inclusion
• Parents not responding to camp’s calls
• Parents wanting to see camp’s internal documents

Lessons Learned

• Provide transparency to help parents and guardians develop understanding of your camp’s policies and procedures. Understand all the issues related to maintaining the privacy of your campers and staff while providing an inclusive environment for campers and staff.
• Double-check that you have one or more emergency contacts who are not the camper’s parents. The availability of an alternative contact, whether in an emergency or simply when the primary contact is unavailable, can be beneficial when you least expect to need one.

Resources

• Building Healthy Relationships with Parents: What Every Camp Needs to Know | American Camp Association
• Empowering Camp Conversations: Mastering "Difficult" Dialogues | American Camp Association

 

Interruptions to Camp Operations

Camps experience situations every day that impact their regular camp operations. Operating a camp is complex, and sometimes it seems nearly impossible for camps to anticipate the challenges they may experience.

Calls within this category included:

• Operating during a long-term power outage
• Responding to threats of violence at camp
• Operating during extreme weather (lightning)

Lessons Learned

• Ensure your camp has reviewed and established emergency management and risk control procedures. Do you have a plan for extreme weather conditions?
• Develop robust resources to help your camp manage the unexpected. Time spent building relationships with local emergency services, vendors, and your insurance agent will serve your camp well when the unexpected happens.

Resources

• Key articles on camp insurance from ACA's CampLine and Camping Magazine publications
• Crisis Planning & Response
• Weather Resources
• Wildfire Resources 

Implications for Your Camp — Case Studies Each year, the hotline team assembles a collection of case studies based on actual calls to the hotline from the previous year. These case studies provide opportunities for planning and staff training in consideration of the implications of these situations for your camp.  As you review these case studies, consider: What do you need to add to your camp’s policies? Are there components of your staff training that need to be more robust? What are some of the key lessons learned that will help with your camp’s preparedness for a crisis? Case Study #1 Case Study #2 Case Study #3 Case Study #4 Case Study #5 Case Study #6 Case Study #7

Wrapping Up: Foundations of Crisis Preparation

Teachable moments are a valuable part of the camp experience, and while typically we focus on highlighting those unexpected moments with camp participants, unexpected situations at camp can prove just as valuable for camp staff and operators. Prevention and preparation will always serve your camp well, as can learning from the experiences of others as highlighted in the case studies shared in the sidebar. As you work through your own examination of your camp’s policies and procedures, here are a few places to start:

• Develop a working relationship with your insurance company and representative, as well as local emergency responders.
• Ensure your camp has access to legal counsel who can both help establish and review your camp’s policies and support you when an issue arises.
• Review and train on supervision policies.
• A comprehensive crisis communication plan is critical! Drafting sample communications in advance will help you when the need to use them presents itself.
• Develop a relationship with a network of mental health professionals who are available to support your camp community through a crisis.

About the ACA Camp Crisis Hotline

• The ACA Camp Crisis Hotline is available to any camp professional experiencing a crisis, no ACA membership or accreditation required, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• This service is free and confidential.
• While the ACA staff members who staff the Hotline are not legal or medical experts, we provide resources and assistance in identifying where in your own policies and procedures you might find a way to address your situation.

800-573-9019 | Camp Crisis Hotline | American Camp Association

Photo courtesy of Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, TX