Enhancing the lives of children & families through quality camp experiences.
Our vision is a society that values the camp experience as an essential component of human development.
Why Summer Camp?
Summer camp is not just like what you’ve seen in the movies. (In fact, it’s probably not at all like what you’ve seen in the movies.) “Camp” is defined differently by groups ranging from regulatory bodies to parents and guardians to campers themselves. ACA New England sees summer camp as a sustained experience which provides a creative, recreational, and educational group living opportunity in the out-of-doors. Trained leaders and a natural setting both contribute to each camper’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual growth. Camp is where children can try new things without fear of being laughed at, where they can learn independence and responsibility, where they can build resilience, where they can play and learn among children from all over the country and world and from all backgrounds and experiences, and where they can enjoy both unstructured and unscheduled time.
What Can a Summer Camp Provide?
ACA Accredited camps in New England offer a huge range of activities, opportunities, and settings. Summer camp experiences provide:
- Healthy, developmentally-appropriate activities and learning experiences
- Discovery through experiential education
- Caring, competent role models
- Service to the community and the environment
- Opportunities for leadership and personal growth
Beyond these important benefits, your child has much to gain from time spent at summer camp: independence and resilience; new skills, experiences, and friends; advancement of current skills—in sports or on a musical instrument, for example; and time in the out-of-doors—an “unplugged” experience away from video games, television, and Facebook.
Camp Stories
What's the Magic of Camp?
Why are people so loyal to their sleepaway camps? What exactly happens at camp that makes people rhapsodize about the experience thirty or forty years later? More >
There's a Camp Out There for Everyone
They are singing silly songs, playing funny games and giggling in their bunks before bed time. It looks like they are having too much fun to be learning anything of importance, right? More >
Top Ten Tips to Ensure Your Child Has a Healthy Summer
Send your child to camp with the knowledge needed to have a healthy summer. More >
The Boy in the Boat: Life Lessons Learned at Camp
Ben was the boy in the boat. The lessons he learned at camp originated from, or were reinforced by, the challenges he faced as a skipper, navigating uncertain and constantly shifting conditions having to do with wind, tide, crew, and competition. More >
Let the Learning Continue
While many children look forward to the summer as a time of unstructured free play, many parents worry that, well, summer is a time of unstructured free play. More >
Reaching Out
Summer camps are serving their greater community. Better yet, kids are often given the chance to help. More >
The 2011 Camp Champions Celebration
More than 100 children will get to go to ACA Accredited day & resident camps in New England in summer 2012 after the success of the inaugural Camp Champions Celebration. More >
How to Get the Most Out of a Camp Fair
One of the best ways to explore summer camp options when the winter cold keeps thoughts of summer seem far away is to attend a camp fair. More >
