Accreditation & Professional Associations
Cheley believes in professional development and continued education for its Directors and staff. As a Colorado accredited summer camp, Cheley works directly with ACA to establish policies, procedures, and practices to enrich the summer camp experience. Accredited Colorado camps must meet high standards from each of the associations below. Find out more about Cheley and our Colorado accredited summer camp program and preview our high standards for our camps.
The following are some of the associations we are associated with...
American Camp Association, Accreditation and Professional Development
Cheley is a proud member and accredited Colorado camp of the American Camp Association. The ACA is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience to enhance the quality of camp programs across the United States. ACA is a leading authority in child development and the ACA works to preserve, promote and improve the camp experience. ACA accredits over 2,400 camps who meet up to 300 standards for health, safety, and quality programs.
Western Association of Independent Camps, Professional Development
The Western Association of Independent Camps is a group of western privately owned camps who run high-quality camp programs for youth. These camps are all ACA accredited. WAIC has an annual educational conference each November which all member camps are required to attend. WAIC camps share knowledge, educate members in best practices, and provide role modeling in professional standards for camps.
Camp Owners and Directors Association, Professional Development
CODA is a group of camp professionals who own and operate private camps from coast to coast and who are accredited by the ACA. CODA believes in education and provides services for member independent camps ranging from conferences to camp tours, templates, staffing tools, and other member-driven projects that help all camps run professionally. This national group meets once a year for a kindred event in conjunction with the ACA National Conference and almost every fall for a behind-the-scenes tour of camps.
Leave No Trace
Cheley believes in teaching youth how to take care of our land and literally "leave no trace" when camping and hiking in the mountains. We adhere to Leave No Trace ethics and teach each camper and staff about how to take care of the wilderness.
