https://www.acacamps.org/research/camp-research/history

View all our past research initiatives.

https://www.acacamps.org/research/special-projects/camp-program-quality-initiative

Funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., ACA began a special project to explore and develop systems that support camp professionals in promoting positive youth development through camp experiences.

https://www.acacamps.org/research/continuous-improvement

At ACA, we believe in continuous improvement. We believe that our work for young people is not conceptualized in boxes or checklists; instead, we think about our work in a cyclical way—a way that...

https://www.acacamps.org/resources/summer-camp-therapeutic-tool-reducing-anxiety-youth

This study provides the first preliminary evidence that overnight summer camps—including those with and without specific treatments for anxiety, and youth with and without diagnosed behavioral and...

https://www.acacamps.org/research/our-research-innovation

The ACA research team supports and facilitates rigorous research in order to expand the value and visibility of the summer camp experience and provide research-informed resources for camps. ...

https://www.acacamps.org/blog/key-takeaways-pulse-survey-summer-2022-trends-issues

The survey asked questions about enrollment and campers, camp staff, and budget and operations.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/data-analytic-strategies-improve-your-camps-business-practices-pepper-model

MIT news writer Sara Brown’s recent article, “It’s Time to ‘Radically Escalate’ Your Commitment to Data,” calls on organizations to increase their commitment to developing a data analytics culture....

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/program-outcomes-resident-camp-youth-serious-illnesses-disabilities-life-challenges

In 2005, the American Camp Association (ACA) published the first large-scale national research project assessing the youth development outcomes of children who attend day and resident camps in the...

https://www.acacamps.org/resources/campcounts-2021-report

CampCounts 2021 is the latest iteration of ACA’s annual business and industry research survey, which aims to support camp professionals in their operational decision-making and to support ACA’s...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/considering-access-summer-camp-part-iv-helping-families-overcome-barriers-participation

Considering Access to Summer Camp is a four-part series that highlights recent research aimed at helping camp practitioners increase access to summer camp for all youth. The first article...