American Camp Association | Summer camps enrich children's lives!

Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!

The Clorox Company

Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry,  the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools,  and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.

Children and youth need a community that:  encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.

A Voice for Excellence

ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.

Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.

Celebrate ACA's 100th Anniversary

Find a Camp

Looking for a summer camp? Search over 2,400 ACA-Accredited camps.

Find a Job

Find the perfect summer or year-round camp job. Need Staff? Check Out ACA’s Staff Recruitment Solutions!

Join ACA

Join today and be an integral part of an evolving, versatile, and vibrant organization of people with knowledge to share.


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Program Overview

For 50 years the accreditation process has grown to keep pace with changes in the camp industry, expectations of the public, and the challenges of operating a business in today's highly regulated society.

American Camping Association standards help you with every aspect of your camp management and operation:

  • Site: fire protection, food service, sleeping quarters, bathing and toilet facilities.
  • Transportation: procedures concerning drivers, vehicles, and traffic on site.
  • Health and Wellness: staff qualifications, facilities requirements, record keeping, storage distribution of medicines, contact information, health forms.
  • Operational Management: Safety regulations, emergency communication systems, procedures for intruders, personal property regulations.
  • Human Resources: staff qualifications, training, supervision ratios, and procedures.
  • Program Activities: aquatics, adventure/challenge, trips, horseback riding, staff qualifications for special programs.

Mandatory standards include requirements for emergency exits, first aid, aquatic-certified personnel, storage and use of flammables and firearms, emergency transportation, and obtaining appropriate health information.

To see a brief summary of the standards, take a look at the Standards At A Glance.

A variety of materials are available to help you understand and comply with ACA standards.

What Accreditation Can and Can't Do
While standards focus on health and safety practices, accreditation cannot guarantee that the camper will be absolutely free from harm. Accreditation can indicate to the public that the camp administration has voluntarily allowed its practices to be compared with the standards established by professionals in the camping industry. At least once every three years an outside team of trained camping professionals visits the camp to verify compliance with the standards.

Unlike inspections by state licensing bodies, ACA accreditation is voluntary. ACA cannot close or otherwise penalize an entity that is not meeting its accreditation criteria, except for the removal of the accreditation status. Licensing focuses on the enforcement of minimum standards. Accreditation focuses on education and evaluation of one's operation and can help you go beyond the minimum requirements of licensing.

ACA standards identify practices considered basic to quality camping. They cannot, however, require all programs to look alike. The ACA-accreditation programs serve a broad range of facilities and programs: some primitive, some rustic, others highly developed. Each will have addressed in its own way the concerns identified by the standards.

Many types of camps and programs seek ACA accreditation such as camps who operate day and resident camp sessions, travel and trip programs, school camps and environmental education programs, and camps with special program emphases (e.g., sports, academic, therapeutic, religious). Many of these camps also offer facilities and services to other program operators.

American Camp Association | Summer camps enrich children's lives!

Camp is just around the corner, and you’ve still got to pack! You might be a pro at packing for camp, but there are always a few things you might forget. That's why The Clorox Company is partnering with the ACA to bring you a simple list of great suggestions for what counselors and staff should make sure is on their packing list this summer. Take a look – it just might save you from leaving something really important off your list!

The Clorox Company

Learn the skills you need to succeed. Camping Magazine is your primary source for the most recent trends in the camp industry,  the latest research in the field of youth development, critical management tools,  and innovative programming ideas. The July/August 2010 issue features articles that address programming, history, 20/20 Toolbox, and more.

Children and youth need a community that:  encourages achievement and builds self-esteem; promotes healthy lifestyles, fitness, and activity; teaches in a classroom without walls; instills appreciation, respect, and responsibility for the natural world around them; and inspires the confidence and courage to become the leaders of tomorrow.

A Voice for Excellence

ACA's Because of Camp…™ outdoor advertising campaign officially launched in early January. Since that time, orders have been arriving daily for billboards, posters, and transit shelters. Several orders have been placed already, and are being shipped to vendors nationwide. Visit ACA's Say It Big Web page to view a map of advertising placements as they are confirmed.

Preserving the rich history of the camp experience is essential for the future. The American Camp Association (ACA) is proud to celebrate our 100th Anniversary in 2010 and the 150th Anniversary of Organized Camping in 2011, and to honor our past with this Web-based tribute.

Celebrate ACA's 100th Anniversary

Find a Camp

Looking for a summer camp? Search over 2,400 ACA-Accredited camps.

Find a Job

Find the perfect summer or year-round camp job. Need Staff? Check Out ACA’s Staff Recruitment Solutions!

Join ACA

Join today and be an integral part of an evolving, versatile, and vibrant organization of people with knowledge to share.