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/article/camping-magazine/best-practices-inclusive-camping-roundtable-discussion-programming

Learn how to have an inclusive summer camp by providing physical inclusion, functional inclusion, and social inclusion.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/sorry-not-sorry

We've all been there. We're trying to help or referee some situation with kids, we're told a few things or parts of the story, and we think we know what happened, so we turn to the kid who we think...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/continuous-quality-improvement

In my decades-long career as a camp professional and outdoor educator, one of my favorite parts has been problem-solving. How can I, in whatever role I find myself, help make the camper experience...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/summer-camp-moving-along-continuum-inclusion

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2016), 8.5 percent of school-aged children are receiving specialized education services, not including those students with specific learning...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camp-el-tesoro-de-la-vida-camp-experience-bereaved-children

The death of a loved one is a reality that each of us must face at some point. The experience of a loss invokes a myriad of feelings for adults and children alike. Some will maintain the belief that...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/informed-staffing-through-form-follows-function-program-assessment

In architecture, the phrase “form follows function” means that a building’s purpose should be the starting point for its design. Similarly, the purpose of camp staff — why you have them and what...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/lost-boys-finding-their-way-summer-camp

Are boys in crisis? Popular literature (Raising Cain, Lost Boys, Boys and Sex) and theater (Dear Evan Hansen) seem to suggest so. Terms such as “boy code” and “toxic masculinity” further paint a path...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/good-bad-ugly-issues-camp-providers-face-when-providing-family-camp-programs

Family camps have become increasingly prevalent over the past several years. The number of camps offering family programs has exploded since the early 90s; reports of increases in family camps range...