Orientation Overload: Rethinking Timing and Training through Executive Functioning
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 (America/Los_Angeles) | Room 401
Orientation sets the tone for the whole summer—but when it’s crammed into a few exhausting days, staff forget more than they retain. That’s an executive functioning issue: too much information, not enough building blocks and scaffolding. This session shows how to structure orientation so that staff actually absorb and apply what matters. The result: more confident staff, less mid-summer chaos, and smoother camper experiences.

Why Families Choose You (and Not the Camp Down the Road)
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 309
Families don’t just choose a camp, they choose a story they believe in. When every brochure promises fun and friendship, what sets your camp apart is how clearly you communicate its identity. This session will introduce a simple, practical framework to transform everyday camp features into brand-defining meaning that families remember. You’ll leave with tools to help parents quickly see why your camp is “the one” and feel confident choosing you over the competition.

Rearview Mirror: A Look at 2025 Camp Practices, Themes, and Claims
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 310
This session will dive into insurance data and themes from 2025, including claims, incidents, and close calls, as well as common risk management questions. Case studies will be shared and discussed to highlight positive examples of crisis management, as well as common missteps and learnings regarding the incident. The world of risk management is ever-changing, as are society’s expectations of camps. Let’s talk about what is happening and how we are mitigating risk.

Creating LGBTQ+ Gender Inclusive Out-of-School Programs
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 404
Out-of-school programs can lead the way on inclusion by creating spaces where all youth feel seen, safe, and supported. This session offers practical tools to build affirming programs for LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse young people. Participants will gain confidence discussing LGBTQ+ topics, practice responding to bias, and learn how to interrupt gender stereotypes in everyday interactions. Through activities, scenarios, and real examples from programs nationwide, facilitators will model ways to create affirming environments for youth, families, and staff. Walk away with strategies, sample language, and resources to strengthen belonging across your organization.

Just Eat It: Navigating Picky, Restrictive, and Disordered Eating at Camp
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 410
Is your camper picky? Does the food just stink? Or is it possible that something more serious is going on? Atypical eating behaviors at camp are often a concern for staff, and there are so many reasons why a camper might not eat enough. In this session, social workers Chrissy and Elizabeth will explore a variety of challenging eating behaviors in campers, from pickiness and unfamiliarity to more significant disordered eating. They will examine contributing factors, mental health implications, and approaches for supporting campers and staff. Chrissy and Elizabeth will examine the importance of including family voice and, when indicated, a collaborative approach with treatment teams. They will also discuss factors to consider to ensure that staff are prepared and equipped to assess and support their campers who present with eating concerns.

Aquatic In-Service Escape Room
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 415
Dive into a unique training experience that combines problem-solving with lifesaving skills! The Aquatic In-Service Escape Room Challenge emphasizes teamwork, quick thinking, and critical decision-making as you overcome obstacles and decipher riddles to unlock the equipment needed to properly assist your VIC (Vulnerable Individual in Crisis).
Set in an aquatic environment, this dynamic and innovative challenge strengthens your lifesaving skill set while sharpening your critical eye. It’s an engaging way to reinforce essential rescue techniques, promote collaboration, and make ongoing training both educational and fun!

Best Practices and Bold Opinions: A Director Throwdown
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 303
Join Justin Pritikin (Liberty Lake Day Camp, NJ) and Andy Shlensky (North Star Camp for Boys, WI), for an engaging conversation on what’s working, and what’s changing, in modern camp leadership. Through stories, strategies, and honest reflections, Justin and Andy will explore how today’s directors can balance innovation with tradition, maintain excellence through chaos, and lead with both empathy and edge. This session isn’t about right answers, it’s about shared wisdom, practical takeaways, and the power of evolving together.

Unleash the Power of Play: Designing Summer Camp Experiences that Drive Learning
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 312
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into a highly interactive professional development session where fun meets function. Through engaging games and hands-on activities, you’ll explore how traditional camp fun can be transformed into powerful opportunities for academic and social-emotional learning.
Led by the SummerCollab team, this session isn’t just about ideas, it’s about doing. You’ll actively participate in playful learning experiences that model how to spark curiosity, build confidence, and foster growth in young learners. Along the way, you’ll gain practical strategies for program planning, activity design, and creating a camp culture that naturally weaves learning into every moment.
Come ready to play, laugh, and learn, because when you do, your campers will too!

Attract, Recruit, and Retain International Staff
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 315
Are you looking to step up your camp’s international staff recruitment game? Learn from former participants, turned camp directors, who now work with hundreds of camps each year on how best to attract, recruit, and retain international staff. In this session, you’ll find out what attracts international applicants to camps based on a survey from our 2025 placed applicants. Learn the tactics and tools to best approach potential international staff members during the recruitment process. Explore unique ways that camps are minimizing staff cancellations and engaging with hired staff members prior to arrival.

How Creating an Environment of Hospitality Can Shape the Summer Camp Experience
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 311
In today’s competitive youth development landscape, hospitality is far more than a customer-service buzzword is a powerful strategy that can elevate every aspect of the camp experience. As presenters, Henry Skier, Marc Honigfeld, John Kiesendahl, and Laurie Guzda, will emphasize, service is what people expect, hospitality is going above and beyond. This session will explore how that distinction can profoundly shape how camps serve their communities. Participants will dive into what hospitality truly means in the camp context and discover practical ways to infuse it into daily operations. The discussion will highlight how staff, campers, and parents all serve as recipients of your hospitality efforts, and how empathy-driven practices, what the presenters call creating a “Product of Empathy” can transform routine interactions into meaningful moments of care. The session will also uncover how well-handled mistakes can become opportunities to build stronger relationships, deepen loyalty, and create memorable moments of hospitality. This session aims to offer fresh perspectives, real-world examples, and actionable strategies for making hospitality a core cultural value that drives connection, satisfaction, and long-term camp success for campers, their families, and staff alike.

When Parents Push the Limits: Human-Centered Communication and Risk Management in Camp
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 314
Parents today are more anxious, vocal, and involved than ever, and camp leaders are often caught in the middle. In this interactive session, an experienced camp director and trauma-informed attorney explore how to navigate challenging parent interactions with clarity, empathy, and professionalism. Together, they’ll unpack the roots of heightened parent behavior, share communication frameworks that de-escalate tension, and outline practical risk-management strategies that protect relationships, reputation, and camper well-being. Participants will leave with tools to transform difficult conversations into opportunities for trust and partnership.

The 2026 Camp A.I. Census: How Camp Operations, Marketing, and Programming are Actually Using AI
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45
Every camp leader is being flooded with AI tools promising to “revolutionize” the summer—but how do you tell the difference between a high-value asset and a generic commodity? Drawing on a specialized survey of the camp industry, this session reveals the results of the first-ever “Camp AI Census.” We break down usage by role (Operations, Marketing, and Programming) to identify where AI is truly overdelivering and which is just a flavor of the day. You will learn to identify “Sticky” tools—those that integrate deeply into your camp’s unique DNA—versus “Commoditized” tools that are easily replaced by free alternatives. Attendees will leave with a clear roadmap to prioritize their tech spend and a blueprint of the 2026 “Must-Have” Camp AI Stack.

Tooth Fairy Ethics: When is it OK to Lie to Kids?
2026-03-11 09:45 - 10:45 | Room 301
It’s ironic—against the backdrop of lofty mission statements and core values like “honesty”—that most adults have no qualms about lying to young children about the Tooth Fairy, the toy store being closed, and catching a cold if you don’t wear a jacket. These may be harmless falsehoods, but what about lies your staff tell campers? This entertaining session will help you examine camp lore, humor traditions, and discipline practices and decide which ones to nix because they are truly unethical.

Programming Share Out
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 416
There is a ton of wisdom at this conference, let’s take advantage of it! Share your favorite programming ideas and gain some new ones from fellow camp professionals.
Topics may include sensory-friendly evening programs, connecting your existing programming to your mission AND what the kiddos want, staff bonding activities, and so much more.

Alumni Development Roundtable: What Camps Can Learn from University Models and One Another
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 401
While camps foster deep connections, building a formal alumni association often remains a challenge. This session opens the floor for a moderated discussion on your camp’s alumni plan, whether it’s a full-fledged association or non-existent. Be prepared to share your current strategies, hopeful future plans, past successes or mistakes, and more. Cory will share some of his lessons from conversations with the CEO of the Clemson University Alumni Association to get things started. This is an opportunity to learn from peers as we discuss how to turn camper nostalgia into active, lifelong belonging.

The Backward Plan: A Camp Staff Training Roundtable
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 419
Join fellow camp professionals in an interactive roundtable discussion focused on mastering the “backward planning” approach for designing dynamic and effective camp staff training schedules.
This session moves beyond a standard presentation, offering a collaborative forum for you to share challenges, swap strategies, and brainstorm solutions with peers. We will tackle key questions in an open dialogue format:
• How do you prioritize the most crucial skills staff need by Opening Day?
• What are innovative ways to integrate essential components like health/safety and camper development into engaging, hands-on activities?
• How do we ensure every piece of training content aligns deeply with our unique camp’s mission, vision, and values?
Whether you lead a resident camp or a day camp, bring your experiences and your toughest questions. Walk away with fresh perspectives, shared resources, and a ready-to-implement strategy for transforming your staff training into an empowering experience that fosters a positive, ready-to-lead team. Active participation and shared expertise are the cornerstones of this session. To get the conversation started, come ready to share and discuss a few of your best (or worst!) ideas. You’ll have the opportunity to explore the ones you’re most excited or proudest to discuss.

The Kids Are Ready: Using Play as a Tool for Social Change
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 418
In this workshop, participants will explore how play can be used as a powerful tool in youth programs to spark conversations about identity, power, and the wider world, while fostering positive social change. They will gain strategies and practical approaches to embed these discussions into their programs, helping young people build foundational language around social change and develop the skills to become changemakers. Finally, participants will engage in hands-on activities that demonstrate how play can be used intentionally as a strategic method to support young people in navigating and responding to today’s sociopolitical context.

How to Adapt Marketing and Sales Strategies to Attract and Enroll Children from Non-Traditional Camp Families
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 410
In this Dining Hall, we will lead a conversation focused on how to market and sell camp to “non-traditional” camp families. Non-traditional camp families are made up of families with parents who did NOT attend camp, families who come from areas in the United States or abroad that do not have camp at all, and/or families who live in neighborhoods where it may not be the norm or part of the culture to send children to camp. We will discuss aspects of the marketing plan, inquiry follow ups and the camp tour that must be adapted if we wish to communicate effectively with families new to the camp world.

4-H Camp Roundtable
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 415
Step into a dynamic session designed for 4-H camp professionals! Whether you’re a seasoned camp director or new to the team, this round table is your chance to connect with peers from across the region, exchange ideas, and spark inspiration.
Discover what’s working in other state 4-H camp programs, share your own success stories, and gather fresh programming ideas and resources to take back to your camp. Bring your staff training agendas, emergency management plans, program evaluations, and any tools you use. This is a space for open sharing and collective growth.
Expect lively discussion, practical takeaways, and new connections that will strengthen your camp community. Come ready to contribute, learn, and leave energized for the season ahead!

EPIC Dining Hall
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 402
Anyone who identifies as an EPIC (Emerging Professional in Camping) is invited to join this session of networking and casual conversation that is relevant to our community. Bring your challenges, hot topics, and lunch!

Parks and Rec Camps Meet and Greet
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 405/406

ACA Upstate Gathering
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 202

ACA Chesapeake Gathering
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 413

VOCE Roundtable Discussions
2026-03-11 12:30 - 13:45 | Room 411/412
Join Fritz, Dan Zenkel and other VOCEs as we network, grab lunch and take part in small discussions around things that effect us, the Veterans of the Camp Experience. More information on topics and moderators will be shared after the data from a survey is collected.

Developing Future Camp Leaders with CIT Programs
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00
Finding the staff who want to work with kids and be part of your camp’s culture can be challenging. A high-quality CIT or leadership program will cultivate campers into staff. Programs must be based on providing mentorship and developing future leaders beyond just giving an opportunity to be at camp for another summer. We will explore characteristics of a successful program, pitfalls to avoid, and tips for transforming a program into a robust leadership pipeline. We will cover best practices and share real examples.

How to Do What You Said You Would Do: Being Accountable to Yourself and Others, with Less Stress
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 301
Wouldn’t it be great if we were judged by our intentions instead of our actions or lack of action? Do you struggle to manage your task list, or wish you even had a task list? Would you like to raise accountability for yourself and those you collaborate with? In this session with Diana Bloom, we will learn actionable steps that can be implemented to achieve high productivity and efficiency and to bridge the gap between our intentions and our actions. Together, we will discover systems and processes to prioritize, track, and complete tasks with less stress. We will learn techniques for better clarity in task management, how to prevent tasks from falling through the cracks, and how to track work to completion.

The Perks, Privileges, and Pitfalls of Hiring and Managing Staff Parents
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 310
Parents of current campers are valuable assets in many camp programs. However, they also come with challenges, including feelings of entitlement, supervising one’s peers, discretion, being an ambassador of your brand inside and outside of camp, and the inability to separate their job as a staff member from their role as a parent when their children are “at work” with them. This session will help the people who hire, train, and manage staff parents understand the importance of setting clear expectations from the start and recognize the value in having targeted training for staff parents during orientation. This session will focus on positive ways supervisors can convey to staff parents that they were hired to do a job, and that while at camp, their parental role comes second. When/if staff parents overstep that boundary, their behaviors not only reflect poorly on the job that they do, but can negatively impact their own children’s camp experience. Don’t let it!

A Strengths-Based Approach to Working with Tough Boys
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 404
The 13- and 14-year-old hotshots who are causing headaches for your instructors; the second-year counsellors who are disrupting your staff culture. These aren’t just problems to be fixed-they’re leadership opportunities waiting to be channeled.
This session equips camp leaders with practical strategies to work with the boys and young men who naturally emerge as influential figures within their camp culture. We will begin by exploring how precarious masculinity the constant pressure boys feel to prove their manhood drives attention-seeking, risk-taking, defiance, and disconnection in camp settings. From there, participants will learn proven strategies for aligning with, challenging, and empowering boys that can be implemented at the camp leadership level as well as taught to camp staff. Transform your most challenging campers into your greatest assets for building a camp culture where everyone, not just the loudest voices, can thrive.

Encouraging Intentional Dialogue in an Age of Division
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 311
In an era defined by polarization and fear of saying the wrong thing, camps have a unique opportunity to model what productive disagreement looks like. This session examines how leaning into hard conversations—rather than avoiding or canceling them—builds communities rooted in trust and empathy. Drawing from research in restorative practices, social-emotional learning, and self-determination theory, participants will explore how structured dialogue and shared responsibility help young people develop resilience and perspective-taking. Through case studies and interactive reflection from Camp Stomping Ground, we’ll analyze how adult discomfort can reinforce division, and how intentional dialogue creates belonging across difference. Participants will leave with concrete frameworks and facilitation tools for transforming conflict into connection in today’s fractured cultural landscape.

The No-Sweat Marketing Plan
2026-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 418
You already sweat enough at camp, let’s not add to it in the off-season! Stop overthinking and start marketing smarter. In this interactive, fast-moving session, you’ll learn how to create a clear, values-driven, actionable marketing plan in minutes, not months. Together, we’ll map out realistic goals, define your target audiences (and the people who influence them), and build a customer-centered strategy that drives enrollment and engagement. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to marketing, you’ll walk away with a practical plan you can put to work the moment you return home.
