American Camp Association Accreditation describes the operations of the programs and services by an owner/director. This may be sought by a camp operating on its own property, on the property belonging to someone else, or by camps who rent/lease facilities to other groups who retain the responsibility for part or all of their own program. Accreditation applies to all camp programs and services offered under the same camp name throughout the year, except for single day events.
To maintain accreditation, a legal representative must annually sign the then-current statement of compliance, comply with all of ACA’s current/applicable mandatory standards, and must agree to an onsite visit as determined by the local leadership, but at least once every three or five years. The visitation requires confirming compliance with standards related to health, safety, and risk management in areas such as site, transportation, human resources, operations, and programming, and it must occur while the camp/program is in full operation.