https://www.acacamps.org/virginias/public-policy

The ACA, Virginias Field Office monitors issues impacting the camp community in Virginia and West Virginia.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/rethinking-risk-how-build-resiliency-reward

So much of a camp director’s time is oriented toward risk reduction. From hiring lifeguards to teaching CPR, the number-one priority is “keeping kids safe,” followed by fun and learning in form or...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/positive-risk-taking-camp-why-does-it-matter

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the resilience in each of us. Years of studies around resilience reveal that the quality of our relationships when we are young, especially with parents and...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/are-you-prepared-bear-if-not-how-will-you-respond-armed-intruder

Running a camp is challenging. Running a camp in the United States, where violent events occupy the 24-hour news cycle, is even more difficult. There are so many risks and expectations to manage....

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/beanies

When I was 20, I needed a job for the summer months and decided to accept an opportunity at a sleepaway camp. Since I was studying to be a teacher, I thought being a camp counselor for a group of six...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/considering-access-summer-camp-part-ii-what-impacts-access-summer-camp

In the first article of this four-part series, we discussed summer camp as a developmentally enriching experience, the opportunity gap, and how we conceptualize the factors...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/cutting-wood-sharpening

For the better part of a decade, I met many of the industry’s facilities leaders and staff in person at the Maintenance Conference in March every year. It was a great reprieve from winter captivity...

https://www.acacamps.org/blog/celebrating-camp-new-research-similarities-differences-across-camp-types

This Research 360 blog post discusses a new study called Similarities and Differences in Summer Camps: A Mixed Methods Study of Lasting Outcomes and Program Elements.

https://www.acacamps.org/article/parents/case-camp-why-kids-need-it-now-more-ever

Change is a part of life. It is often directly related to survival and can enrich one's life in ways unexpected. Childhood is in essence a time of profound change and development. It is exciting and...

https://www.acacamps.org/news/press-release/american-camp-association-white-house-recognize-innovative-new-hampshire-program-benefits-camps

Extensive research has established that children can't begin to learn until their emotional needs are addressed — and camp is part of the solution. To make the benefits of camp more accessible to...