ACA Research

The American Camp Association research says that even though most people intuitively know that a camp experience is great for kids, now there’s research to prove it. 

Camp helps kids: 

• Make new friends
• Get to know campers who are different from them
• Feel good about themselves
• Try new things
• And more

Parents say their kids: 

• Gain self-confidence at camp
• Continue to participate in activities learned at camp
• Remain in contact with friends made at camp
• And more

These findings are among the results of a landmark study, "Directions: Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience." Between 2001 and 2004, more than 5,000 families from 80 ACA-Accredited camps participated in the largest study of camper outcomes ever conducted in the United States. To follow up on this monumental study, in 2016, ACA set out to explore the lasting impacts and the ways camp experiences prepare young people for college, their careers, and their lives beyond camps with a new national study: The 5-Year Camp Impact Study.

Interested in a wealth of knowledge about the benefits of the camp experience? Visit the links below:

• 10 Benefits of Summer Camp for Teens
• Why Making Friends Is One of the Most Important Things That Happens at Summer Camp
• 5 Ways Camp Grows Grit
• 10 Reasons Great Parents Choose Summer Camp for Their Kids
• Why Camp Remains Relevant for Teens
• Why Kids Need Camp Now More Than Ever
• Life Lessons Learned at Camp

Cheley is proud to be a part of the respected chain of ACA summer camps. Visit the American Camp Association, the only camp accrediting organization in the United States, at www.ACAcamps.org for more information.