Parents

An event planner by day, I got a call to meet with the new executive director of my former sleep-away camp on planning events for its ninetieth anniversary. I couldn’t help but think of all of the people who have passed through the wooden doors of those cabins all those years.

Guest post by Brooke Cheley-Klebe I love those rare moments of parenthood when I am not preparing for the next thing. Most of the time as a parent, I feel as if my day is full of...

Overnight camp can be an incredible growing experience for your child. Maybe you went yourself – or you wish you had. But for whatever reason, you just know your child will thrive in cabin-sleepover-living. Now, you need to make sure your child feels the same way.

Promoting Youth Development Through Research

Enriching the Lives of Children

• A generous grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. helped support the largest research study of camper outcomes ever conducted in the United States.
• A respected, independent research firm, Philliber Research Associates, collected longitudinal data at 92 randomly selected camps.
• More than 5,000 families from around the country participated.
• Results confirmed that camps build skills necessary to prepare campers to assume roles as successful adults. Parents, campers, and camp staff independently reported growth in areas such as self-confidence, independence, making friends, exploring and learning new activities, and spirituality. Indeed, camp provides growth experiences for youth that can benefit them through adulthood.

Campers Say

• Camp helped me make new friends. (96%)
• Camp helped me to get to know kids who are different from me. (93%)
• The people at camp helped me feel good about myself. (92%)
• At camp, I did things I was afraid to do at first. (74%)

Parents Say

• My child gained self-confidence at camp. (70%)
• My child continues to participate in some of the new activities he or she learned at camp. (63%)
• My child remains in contact with friends made at camp. (69%)

ACA’s Commitment

The American Camp Association is committed to your child’s growth and development. Measuring how camps are doing to address the potential of every child is an integral part of ACA’s mission. Camp is both a laboratory and a catalyst for child development. By studying campers’ experiences and camp’s impact on the lives of young people, ACA provides parents with the knowledge to make good decisions, to thoughtfully guide their children, and to offer opportunities for powerful lessons in community, character building, skill development, and healthy living. Camp is a powerful, positive force!

What ACA's Commitment Means for Parents

• ACA provides camps with the most up-to-date information and best practices in the field of youth development.
• ACA is actively conducting research that contributes to understanding youth development.

Camps create quality experiences that build a world of belonging and growth.

Camp provides children with a community of caring adults who nurture experiential education that results in self-respect and appreciation for human value. All of the outcomes — self-identity, self-worth, self-esteem, leadership, and self-respect — build personal competencies. These personal competencies are reflected in the four "C's" of the camp community: compassion, contribution, commitment, and character! For years, campers' parents have reported that when their children return home from camp they are more caring, understand the importance of giving, are more equipped to stand up for what they know is right, and are willing to be more responsible. These are the qualities that will help build a successful nation and a civil society.

Children are at less risk at camp where they have a sense of community, develop intergenerational relationships, and learn through first-hand experiences. Trained, caring adult role models help children feel loved, capable, and included. Camp helps children grow by providing a supervised, positive environment that has safety as a primary commitment.

Camp professionals have enormous power in conveying simple teachable moments . . . special moments of passing experiences touched by the human spirit. These fleeting moments of time build three significant ACA values that are reflected in the benefits campers derive from camp.

ACA values people. The moments that result in the camp experience repeatedly express the value of people. We demonstrate that value through respect, honesty, caring, and sharing. Through the camp experience, young people learn to understand the strength of mankind. They also develop an appreciation for the qualities required to protect the fragile relationships needed to protect these relationships.

ACA values the natural world. We seek and appreciate what is real, genuine, and nonartificial. In seeking those qualities in people as well as in the actual world, we foster understanding of the importance of human connections for survival and of the critical connections to our physical world. Campers realize the need to protect not only one another, but also the environment in which they live. Our intent is to preserve and share that legacy with the next generation.

Finally, ACA values a sense of contribution. Our contributions are both obvious and subtle. The benefits of our work are both immediate and slow to emerge. Most significantly, although the experience itself is often fleeting, our impact on the human spirit lasts a lifetime. Children who attend camp develop connections with the world.

We never underestimate the simplest lesson or the briefest wink of time. It may be a star in someone's horizon for all eternity.

Benefits and Anticipated Outcomes of the Camp Experience

Social Skills Development

• Leadership
• Communication
• Participation

Self-Respect and Character Building

• Responsibility
• Resourcefulness
• Resilience

Community Living/Service Skills

• Caring
• Fairness
• Citizenship
• Trustworthiness

When you receive a camp's brochure, you will invariably have questions for the camp director. From that first phone call or letter, you begin developing an impression of what a particular camp is like and how it's run. A camp may be described in nothing less than glowing terms in its brochures. The setting may be absolutely breathtaking. Activities may run the gamut from racquetball to modern dance. In the end, however, it's the human equation of how those activities are operated and conducted that determines the quality of the camp program. Get to know the camp director as a person through telephone conversations, correspondence, and a personal visit. Have the director describe the camp's philosophy and how it is carried out by the staff.

What is the camp's philosophy and program emphasis?

Each camp has its own method of constructing programs based on its philosophy. Does it complement your own parenting philosophy? Many camps actively promote competition and healthy rivalry among camp teams, as reflected in team sports. For many campers this is pure fun. Some parents feel that learning to be competitive at an early age teaches essential survival skills. However, other parents and educators are in favor of cooperative learning. Research has shown that noncompetitive methods encourage young people to learn more, retain it longer, and develop greater self-esteem and appreciation for others. Knowing your child's personality and style of learning is valuable in selecting the right camp.

What is the camp director's background?

ACA minimum standards recommend directors possess a bachelor's degree, have completed in-service training within the past three years, and have at least 16 weeks of camp administrative experience before assuming the responsibilities of director.

What training do counselors receive?

At a minimum, camp staff should be trained in safety regulations, emergency procedures and communication, behavior management techniques, child abuse prevention, appropriate staff and camper behavior, and specific procedures for supervision.

What is the counselor-to-camper ratio?

ACA standards require different ratios for varying ages and special needs. Generally, the ratios at resident camps range from one staff for every six campers ages 7 and 8; one staff for every eight campers ages 9 to 14; and one staff for every 10 campers ages 15 to 18. At day camps the ratios range from one staff for every eight campers ages 6 to 8; one staff for every 10 campers ages 9 to 14; and one staff for every 12 campers ages 15 to 18.

What are the ages of the counselors?

ACA standards recommend that 80 percent or more of the counselor/program staff be at least 18 years old. Staff must be at least 16 years old and be at least two years older than the campers with whom they work.

What are desired qualities in camp staff?

The same qualities of trustworthiness and dependability sought by any employer are valued commodities in camp employees. Also, the ability to adapt to a variety of situations, empathy for and ability to work with camp clientele, a strong self-image, and an outgoing personality are important characteristics for camp staff.

What percentage of the counselors returned from last year?

Most camps have from 40-60 percent returning staff. If the rate is lower, find out why.

How are behavioral and disciplinary problems handled?

This is where the director's philosophy comes through loud and clear. Positive reinforcement, assertive role-modeling and a sense of fair play are generally regarded as key components of camp counseling and leadership. Rules are necessary in any organization, and the disciplinary approach taken should be reasonable and well communicated. If penalties are involved for violations, they should be applied quickly, fairly, calmly, and without undue criticism to campers.

How does the camp handle special needs?

If your child has special requirements, ask the camp director about needed provisions and facilities. Is there a nurse on staff? A designated place to store insulin or allergy medicine? Are special foods available for campers with restricted diets? Every question is important.

How does the camp handle homesickness and other adjustment issues?

Again, the camp's philosophy on helping children adjust is important. Be sure you are comfortable with the camp's guidelines on parent/child contact.

What about references?

This is generally one of the best ways to check a camp's reputation and service record. Directors should be happy to provide references.

Is the camp accredited by the American Camp Association? Why? Why not?

It is only logical that members of your family attend an ACA-accredited camp. Accreditation visitors ask the questions — up to 300 of them — regarding essential health, safety, and program quality issues important to a camp's overall operation. This does not guarantee a risk-free environment, but it's some of the best evidence parents have of a camp's commitment to a safe and nurturing environment for their children.