The Power Behind Peer Review: Thank You, Accreditation Visitors
November 18, 2022
There’s an old adage about reputation that goes something like this:
I can tell you how good I am, but when you hear it from others, I’m great.
In a nutshell, this is accreditation. Allowing peers with intimate knowledge of your craft to scrutinize your practice using generally accepted standards is the fairest, subjective process around, and the most efficient way to show one has passed such scrutiny is to earn accreditation in their field.
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care accredits hospitals and other programs “to prove that your healthcare organization’s commitment to meeting accreditation standards results in a higher level of performance and a greater focus on patient care.”
The American Bar Association is one of the largest professional associations around and has accredited law schools using consistently updated standards for decades. Likewise, most post-secondary educational programs seek accreditation from outfits deemed worthy by the US Department of Education.
Summer camp lives at the natural intersection of health and learning. In camping, ACA’s Accreditation program is the only national accrediting body for camps of all types, and the driving force behind ACA Accreditation is the Visitor.
Visitors are members of the American Camp Association who volunteer their time, commit to ongoing training, and a donate a few days throughout the year and each summer to ensure we maintain a collective idea and consistent delivery of best practices and excellence in camping.
Recently, hosted once again by Camps Brookwoods & Deer Run in New Hampshire, ACA, New England trained nine new Visitors. If you know them, see them, or just wanna be friendly, make sure to say thanks and congratulations next time you talk.
| New Associate Visitor | Their Camp/Program |
| Kate Lemay | North Woods and Pleasant Valley |
| Dave Lovely-Taillon | YMCA Camp Lincoln |
| Kara LaRochelle | Ketcha Outdoors |
| Bryan Martineau | BAM Public Safety |
| Ben Tabone | Brookwoods |
| Beth Walker | Deer Run |
| Alexis Charney | Farm & Wilderness |
| Madeline Clapp | YMCA Camp Huckins |
| JD Lichtman | Camp Tapawingo |
In the meantime, we’d like to once again say thank you to all ACA Visitors. You are the foundation upon which we build a successful Accreditation program.
As always, continue to be there for one another, and know that we’re always here for you.