https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/place-share-investing-professional-development

For my camp, the ACA national conference (this year in Dallas, Texas) is always the highlight of our winter. Those of us who are experienced (please note that I am avoiding the word “old”) can get...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/paying-enough-training-right-snapshot-salary-benefits-professional-development-practices-camps

Read the full article at www.ACAcamps.org/research/improve/compensation-benefits/snapshot.   ...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/big-eight-other-culinary-menaces-camper-society

“The gluten-free cinnamon rolls are amazing!” Those emphatic words are emblazoned in my brain, stamped into my memory. As tears began to well in her eyes, Annalise, one of our counselors, looked...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/moving-mainstreaming-outsourcing-what-everyone-can-learn-working-different-needs

I run two different camps for kids with different needs, including a resident camp for kids with autism. A concerned parent called to talk about how she wanted her son to be “mainstreamed” in the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/what-camp-staff-can-do-help-children-excerpt-homesick-happy

Dear Colleagues, When I sat down to write my new book, Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, I wanted to answer three questions: 1) Why is it...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/moments-truth-things-you-say-things-you-do

Kevin Kevin was nine years old when his parents sent him to summer camp in Minnesota. He was overweight, not athletic, not very confident — and more than anything, not wanting to be there!...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/four-simple-words-better-communication

One of the main challenges of being on staff at camp is the degree to which you suddenly have to communicate with so many people. Because you have decided to accept the awesome responsibility for the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/wanton-words-curbing-verbal-crudeness-cruelty-camp

I love language. The beauty of a poem, the lyricism of a novel, the passion of a political speech, the sentiment of a heartfelt toast, the humor of standup comedy, and the simplicity of a handwritten...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/essential-staff-training-activities

You expect your staff to think on their feet — so why not train them on their feet? For more than three decades, I've been assisting camps, outdoor education centers, youth development agencies,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/protect-your-camp-your-campers-your-staff-unspeakable

It’s 6:27 a.m. on a sunny Tuesday morning. There you are, comfortably seated at your desk, ready for another great day, when you are called for assistance by a counselor to the health center. Upon...