Camp's Added Benefit – Summer Learning

Summer is quickly approaching, and over ten million of the nation’s children are preparing for the experience of a lifetime—camp. Yes, it’s true that camp provides children with opportunities to develop authentic relationships and life-skills such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, but there is more! According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) and research conducted by Johns Hopkins sociology professor Karl Alexander, intentional summer programs, like camp, help stem summer learning loss – providing experiences that challenge children, develop talents, keep them engaged and expand horizons.

Almost all children experience some degree of learning loss in the summer. And  parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure their children have productive things to do. Camp satisfies both of these concerns – providing endless activities and social interaction opportunities, and offering educational opportunities in nature’s classroom.

American Camp Association® (ACA) CEO Peg Smith says, "There are thousands of summer camps across this country, and each one of them is a piece of the solution to summer learning loss. Children stay engaged and continue learning at camp."

To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months.

Camps and schools have worked together for many years to develop quality programming for students and campers. According to ACA’s recent survey on Camp-School partnerships:

• 58% of camps said they partner with schools either directly or indirectly.
• Approximately 43% of responding camps said that they partnered with schools primarily to keep children engaged throughout the year.
• Targeted programs include teamwork, social skills, and problem solving.