The selling points of a traditional camp experience have changed little since 1914...

Special To The Washington 3ost

This will be the year without summer camp for millions of American children. Although some states are allowing camps to open with social distancing measures in place, many camps, especially the nonprofits that provide scholarships to those in need, will struggle to survive this period of uncertainty. The billion industry serves an important economic role, providing jobs and child care, but also transforms the lives of campers.

0any campers think of camp as just a fun place to make memories with friends. %ut camps are actually the embodiment of education reforms made over the past years and have grown to offer outdoor recreation that serves as a programmed learning e[perience, teaching important skills that stay with children for life.

Formal summer camps began around New (ngland lakes in the

s, serving boys from elite urban families. %ack-to-basics, cook-yourown-meals, outdoor camping e[periences were viewed as the antidote to the “femininity” of the increasingly refined, wealthy home. The industry grew steadily, with more wealthy parents choosing a camp e[perience, including sleep-away and day camp programs, to fill lengthy summer breaks, and organi]ations such as the <0CA,

The educational benefits of summer camp were widely recogni]ed by the early th century and advertised through newspapers and maga]ines such as *ood Housekeeping, which described camps as “schools of fellowship and fun” in . As progressive ideals shifted the educational landscape in the s, camps embodied the new vision of “educating the whole child,” promoted by educator and philosopher -ohn 'ewey. They were the antithesis of narrow curriculums, coercive disciplinary techniTues and rotestyle learning that saw schools branded “mere certification agencies.”

5eformers ensured that the importance of relationships, independence and what are called “soft skills” such as teamwork, communication and emotional intelligence, gained societal recognition, and camps¶ ability to inculcate such skills drove their stock to the point that former Harvard 8niversity president Charles (liot argued that a few weeks at a well-run summer camp could be as beneficial as a year of “formal schooling.”

Camping became increasingly diverse, reflecting this skill development focus and a desire to produce “good young citi]ens,” with subject specialty camps being established to mold behaviors and impart a middle-class culture on participants. (ven reformatory schools such as California¶s Whittier State School operated their own encampments, believing summer camp could help reform juvenile delinTuents due to its character-building reputation.

3arents could choose from a variety of focused e[periences, ranging from sports to arts. In , more health and lifestyle-oriented camps popped up, including the first camp for children with Type diabetes, which promoted diabetes self-care and independence. 2thers oriented around religion or political ideals. As late as , there were e[plicitly communist camps in New

Camp was both traditional ± promoting the benefits of a return to nature, with rustic architecture to emulate America¶s imagined pioneer past ± and thoroughly modern, with camps marketing themselves as modern institutions embracing the latest developments in education theory. In the s and s, many camps employed their own psychologists, touting their benefits as scientifically advantageous in their promotional literature.

The *reat 'epression put the industry under major strains, as parents¶ ability to pay tuition was compromised and falling levels of disposable income impacted donations to nonprofit camps that relied on charity. Finances were tight and attendance fell, ultimately motivating the industry to redouble marketing efforts and launch new fundraising initiatives. New 'eal programs provided limited federal dollars to renovate and build recreation campgrounds on the proviso that they be used by nonprofit agencies serving underprivileged youth. Survival depended on camps regularly reminding the American public about the important role they played for all children.

This paid off as the economy rebounded in the post-war era and the camping industry professionali]ed and e[panded. The American Camp Association, a trade body founded in , led these efforts by offering accreditations, becoming a voluntary industry regulator. Architects whose careers began with New 'eal initiatives designing playgrounds and remodeling national parks played a major role in a camp-building spurt that followed the post-war baby boom.

Camps were sold as an ideal blend of old and new physical plants at the forefront of design and activities informed by the latest e[pertise, while still maintaining the spirit of the outdoors in a safe and controlled environment by retaining a wild aesthetic of unhewn timbers. As historian Abigail van Slyck summari]ed, the mid- th century camp was a cultivated “manufactured wilderness.” The s saw changes recogni]able as best practice today, such as dividing facilities into age-based “villages” reflecting the latest psychological research, while even play-based activities reTuired “lesson plans” to ensure safety, and the meeting of defined learning objectives.

*oing to camp became a rite of passage within many families and an established part of American culture. (udora Welty¶s classic “0oon /ake” used the camp setting to discuss the transitions between childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Allan Sherman¶s humorous song “Hello 0uddah, Hello Faddah” will resonate with many parents¶ e[periences of receiving letters from homesick campers. Since then, the summer camp has been featured in a variety of forms, including 5./. Stein¶s “*oosebumps” series, several episodes of “The Simpsons” and the cult-hit film “Wet Hot American Summer” and has continued to form part of a distinct American youth culture.

The selling points of a traditional camp e[perience have changed little since ¶s *ood Housekeeping article an opportunity to be outdoors, have fun with other children and learn new skills. The industry has become bigger and more accessible thanks to the rising influence of the nonprofit sector since the 'epression era. %y

, the majority of appro[imately , day camps and , overnight camps serving million attendees offered scholarships, and only a Tuarter were defined as “for profit.”

Significant research is devoted to understanding outcomes, showing that campers display improvements in problem solving, social skills and greater senses of civic pride and self-confidence. The American Camp Association¶s surveys record that percent of children say camp helped them make friends, percent that camp helped them learn to interact with people who are different from them and percent that camp helped them feel good about themselves.

Nonprofit camps and scholarship programs give valuable opportunities to children and are the result of over

years of progressive education reforms. While we don¶t think of them as schools, camps provide educational benefits to children from every socioeconomic strata. As the industry takes a massive hit due to covid- , it is important that this remains true and that the nonprofit camps serving the less privileged remain in e[istence.