Tri-State

Running an Exemplary Camp Inclusion Program
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Room 304
20% of our campers receive support for additional needs from their school districts. What does your camp do to support and assimilate these children into your program successfully? As a start-up camp, Liberty Lake embraced children of all abilities—but when the number of children needing support became significant, they sought out best practices from other programs to create their “Success Program” with accompanying protocols for children with needs in a neurotypical camp environment. Terri and Andy will take you through their process from the camp application to the camp season, explaining how a high level of intentionality and acceptance adds to the culture and reputation of Liberty Lake.

The Guided Prompt Experience: Using AI to Create All-Camp Games
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 416
Capture the Flag and Color War are the quintessential all-camp games at summer camp. Most likely, your camp has a spin on it that makes your version different from all other camps. But do you have a “signature program”?
Attendees will start with a quick overview of the components required for a successful all-camp game. Then we will go through a guided, structured AI prompting session. You will leave this session with an interesting, unique game and a rich understanding of different prompting techniques. *Please bring a device with you, laptops are preferred for the best experience.

Transform Your Training with Activities that Make Your Messages Stick
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 402
Do you have important training messages that need to stick with your staff long after your pre-camp training ends? This interactive session includes a fresh collection of training activities to help you transform your training and make your messages stick. All activities are low or no-cost and easy to integrate into your pre-camp staff training plans.

Taming the Beast: How to Simplify Inventory and Ordering for Day Camps
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 315
Let’s face it, inventory and ordering are rarely anyone’s favorite part of camp operations. But what if the process could actually be organized, efficient, and dare we say, a little fun? In this session, the Operations team from Kids in the Game will share how they transformed the “dreaded” inventory season into a year-round, team-driven system that saves time, money, and stress.
Whether your “supply closet” is a full warehouse or a few bins in a school gym, you’ll walk away with a clear framework-and some tested tricks-to help your team stay ahead of the curve instead of buried under boxes.

Micro-Trainings & Safety Huddles: Fast, Focused, and Impactful Staff Engagement
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 415
Summer camp moves fast, and keeping staff consistently focused on safety can feel like a full-time job. This session is designed for camp leaders who want to keep safety top-of-mind without adding a 2-hour lecture to the schedule using micro-trainings and safety huddles. Learn creative, time-efficient strategies that reinforce protocols, build accountability, and fit seamlessly into your camp’s daily rhythm. No long lectures, just real talk and tools that will resonate.

What We Know: A Conversation with Department of State Bridge USA J-1 Program Experts
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 403
International and cultural exchange has recently been impacted by our changing world. What have we learned from the past, and what can we do to better prepare for 2026?

Angry and Unreasonable Parents: Boundaries, Legal Obligations, and Practical Responses
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 313
Every camp director has faced the parent who crosses the line—from custody disputes and refund demands to threats of lawsuits, social media campaigns, or demands that staff or campers be dismissed. This session provides a roadmap for navigating these high-stress encounters. We’ll unpack your true legal obligations, explore diffusion strategies that calm tensions, and highlight the contract language you can use in enrollment and staff agreements to establish clear boundaries before problems arise. Attendees should leave with practical talking points, policy tools, and a clearer understanding of where your responsibility begins and ends.

From Whiteboard to Wakeboard: Building Individualized Camper Schedules
2026-03-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Room 419
In this session, Stacy shares strategies and processes for designing individualized activity schedules that honor camper choices for skills-based fun. Follow the process from the whiteboard to the wakeboard as Stacy walks through how the programming team works at Beber Camp, where 3 out of 5 activity periods a day are choice-based. Stacy will draw from case studies at her camp, showing how even as technology and AI become more integrated into our scheduling process, human involvement remains critical. Participants will leave inspired with intentionality behind activity choices and an understanding of the importance of camper feedback while creating customized camper schedules.

Fast Friends: Speed Networking for Camp Leaders and Innovators
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 415
Ever attend a conference and wish you could meet more people and learn about their programs? This fun and fast-paced session will make it happen! Expect to foster connections, share ideas, and build partnerships through meaningful interactions with a variety of camp professionals. Be sure to bring business cards!

The Other Full-Time Job: Parenting at Camp
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 418
Running camp is a 24/7 job, and so is parenting. For many of us, those worlds collide every summer as we strive to be fully present for our campers, our staff, and our own children. This roundtable is a space to be seen, heard, and supported by others who live the same unique experience.
Join fellow camp professionals for an open discussion about parenting at camp. The joys, the guilt, the boundaries, and the lessons learned along the way. Together, we’ll share strategies, stories, and small wins while exploring topics such as setting healthy boundaries between “camp parent” and “camp professional”, hiring and managing staff while parenting in the same environment, acknowledging and navigating the hard days, and communicating with your partner when camp consumes your world.
This session isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about connection, laughter, and learning from one another. Whether you’re a camp director raising kids at camp or thinking about having kids at camp.

Urban Day Camp Roundtable
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 401
Running a camp in the heart of a city comes with its own unique joys and challenges—from limited outdoor space to complex partnerships and ever-changing logistics. But urban camps also have incredible opportunities for creativity, diversity, and innovation.
This is your chance to connect with other camp professionals who “get it”—those navigating bus routes instead of trails, school gyms instead of pavilions, and neighborhoods instead of lakes. Together, we’ll brainstorm creative solutions, celebrate wins, and strengthen the network of urban day camp leaders.
Come ready to share, learn, and leave inspired by what’s possible when we make camp magic happen right in the middle of the city.

Veteran Voices: Leading Camp Orientation
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 405/406
Too often, summer camp orientation is led by the camp director and assistant or associate directors. However, orientation can be even better when incorporating veteran voices from your experienced camp leadership and staff. This session highlights the unique strengths veteran staff bring to summer camp leadership and how to effectively incorporate them into orientation and training. Attendees will explore strategies for leveraging veterans’ experience, discipline, and leadership skills to enhance staff development and camp culture. Topics include creating roles that maximize veteran contributions, fostering mentorship opportunities, and blending leadership styles with camp values. Participants will gain practical tools for designing inclusive orientation programs that engage veterans and inspire all staff members. Leave ready to build a cohesive, skilled team that benefits from the proven leadership of veterans.

Red Cross Instructor Roundtable
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 402
Join fellow camp professionals who are also certified Red Cross instructors for a dynamic networking and learning session focused on the latest updates in Red Cross training services. This interactive roundtable will provide a space to share best practices, discuss challenges unique to camp settings, and explore new resources and curriculum updates from the American Red Cross. Whether you’re teaching lifeguarding, CPR/First Aid, or other safety courses, this session will help you stay current, strengthen your instructional impact, and build connections with peers who understand the unique demands of seasonal and youth-focused programming. Come ready to collaborate, ask questions, and leave with actionable insights to enhance your camp’s safety and training initiatives.

Creativity is a Superpower! Discuss Unique Activities for Your Camp
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 419
Summer camp is fueled by s’mores, glitter, and of course, creativity. Join us in this round table discussion to hear about and share your ideas for evening activity shenanigans, staff activities to help with the mid-summer blues, fun, low-cost activities that are trending online, and more! Come ready to share and ready to learn so we can all add a little more personality to our programs. Step out of the box and see where creativity can take you. The opportunities are limitless!

2, 4, 6, 8, Who DO We Appreciate?! (And How Do We Appreciate Them?)
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 410
Camp staff work HARD. They pour tons of effort, energy, and enthusiasm into camp, and dedicate so much time to making camp the special place that it is. And for better or worse, their compensation for doing so is… lacking. Because of this, developing an intentional, meaningful, and tangible staff appreciation program is a critically important aspect of running a successful camp. During this hands-on and interactive workshop, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and ideate with fellow camp professionals about staff appreciation best practices, including things they can consider for Summer 2026.

There is No Off-Season: Engaging Families in Your Camp Community Year-Round
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 404
When camps focus on building a strong community in the “off-season,” families will feel more tied to your camp year-round, and are more likely to continue to send their children to your camp year after year, improving your camper retention. Campers whose family members feel connected to the camp community are also more likely to return as staff members, helping to improve staff retention as well. This session will offer camp leadership teams new ideas, tips, and practices for engaging their camp families in the camp community year-round, helping to build a strong, proud, and committed community and improve camper and staff retention rates.

Lunch with a Lawyer: Legal Questions Answered
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 416
As we plan for each summer, camp professionals run into daily legal questions. Should we update our contracts with families? Should parents sign a waiver? What does the ADA require of us? What are the best practices for hiring? The list goes on and on. This session provides an open forum to discuss your legal questions with a camp attorney and camp founder. Participants will hear from colleagues to understand what legal considerations are most pressing in the industry right now, and they will receive concrete guidance in response to their legal questions.

ACA Accreditation Volunteer Gathering
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 320
Calling all ACA Visitors! Join us for a roundtable hosted by the ACA, NY & NJ Standards Committee that will focus on saying “Thank You” to our amazing volunteers. We’ll have tips, tricks, camaraderie, and door prizes, so you’re guaranteed to leave with something good (besides the satisfaction of being an integral part of the standards program). Bring your lunch and help us celebrate and support our amazing community of visitors!

BIPOC Camp Professionals Meet and Greet
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:30 | Room 403

A Discussion with Leadership Coach Fritz Seyferth
2026-03-10 12:30 - 13:45 | Room 411/412
Fritz Seyferth has been coaching high-performance leaders and organizations for decades. As the longtime Board Chair of North American Camp Trust, he is familiar with the summer camp industry. At the outset, Fritz will offer his thoughts on how camp leaders can more often perform at peak effectiveness by reinforcing systems that support their camp’s culture. The remainder of the session will give attendees the opportunity to engage with Fritz on aspects of camp management and leadership that concern or interest them.

What to Do When the Sky Falls: Lesson from a Microburst Tornado
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 301
What happens when 200 camp professionals arrive for a tour and a microburst tornado shows up too? At the ACA, NY & NJ Resident Camp Conference tour of Berkshire Lake Camp, that very scenario became an unexpected crash course in extreme weather preparedness. This session tells the story of what unfolded in real time and the lessons it revealed for every camp leader.
We’ll dive into how to assess and protect your facilities, strengthen infrastructure, and train staff so they know how to act when the sky really does fall. From trees down to power out to reopening safely, this is a practical, candid look at what camps can do now to be ready for whatever weather blows their way.

13 Lessons from the Field: Five Years of LGBTQ+ Equity in Camping
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 322
What has five years of queer and trans equity work in camping taught us? These 13 lessons shine with joy, resilience, and real talk about systems, solidarity, and sustainability. Come ready to reflect, laugh, nod along, and take away fresh insights you can apply to your own leadership and organizational growth.

The Ultimate Interview
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 309
Interviewing can feel overwhelming, but with the right approach, it becomes a powerful tool for building strong and effective teams. This session will walk participants through the who, what, and how of interviewing potential camp staff.
Key focus areas will include how to structure an effective interview process, practical techniques to uncover both strengths and challenges in candidates, and strategies for identifying the right fit to support your camp community.
By the end of the session, participants will have concrete skills and tools to approach interviews with confidence and clarity.

Ready or Not? The Power of Succession Planning
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 314
Only 27% of organizations are truly prepared for leadership transitions, are you one of them? Whether it’s a planned handoff or an unexpected shift, the difference between readiness and chaos can define your organization’s future. In this session, we’ll explore what “ready” really means, uncover the risks of ignoring succession planning, and identify the steps to build a clear, confident path forward. You’ll learn how to engage key players – from board members to donors – and use a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) lens to find allies who can champion the process. Succession planning isn’t optional anymore; it’s your insurance policy that helps guarantee stability, continuity, and long-term success.

The Psychosocial Cascade: When One Camper's Sparks Light a Group Fire
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 302
It starts with one camper’s impulsive outburst or social misstep. Friction ripples through the group: there are eye rolls, teasing, exclusion, and, before long, low-level bullying. Staff do what they can, but they aren’t effective in quelling the drama or the behaviors. Left unchecked, this “psychosocial cascade” drains staff energy, heightens tension, and destabilizes the group dynamic. Leadership is frustrated with staff, staff are frustrated with campers and leadership, and oh yes, here come the parents who can’t understand what went wrong and definitely blame someone else’s kiddo, your staff, and you! Join Emily as we confidently address this frustrating situation, breaking down why these dynamics unfold so quickly, then turning to what staff can do to prevent escalation and rebuild group connections. You’ll leave with strategies to help you check the sparks, equip staff to constructively address all campers’ needs, and navigate the often-tricky parent conversations that follow.

From Hire to Higher Retention: Building a Staff Experience that Works
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 415
Returning staff are the heart of a thriving camp. They know your culture, connect with campers and families, and grow into leadership roles year after year. But how do you keep them coming back? We can all agree it is not the paycheck. Drawing on Mid Island Day Camp’s own staff retention journey, this session explores practical strategies and actionable steps to enhance staff engagement and satisfaction. We will take a deep dive into what’s working, what’s holding you back, and the practices you might already be using that are more important than you realize. With a few small tweaks, you can make your camp the hot place to work this summer and for years to come.

Move, Laugh, Connect: Ten Staff Orientation Activities that Work
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 201
The best orientations balance learning and laughter. In this interactive workshop, you’ll take part in ten activities that help staff connect, internalize camp values, and feel ready for summer. Come ready to play, reflect, and bring fresh ideas back to your team.

From Bored to Bought In: How to Train Staff Who Actually Care
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00
Let’s be honest. Most staff training sessions are boring. You have a ton to cover, and here’s the truth: no matter how perfectly you deliver the important stuff, if it’s boring, your staff are going to suck. Engaged training equals engaged staff equals happy kids.
This session is all about fixing that. We will focus on one thing: making training so engaging that staff cannot tune out. You will move, laugh, and practice activities you can steal for your own camp. You will see how to take the topics you already have to teach and make them land. Our job is not to pile on more content. Our job is to tap into what staff already care about and make the important stuff stick.
This will not feel like a lecture. It will feel like camp.

Should You Even Send That Email? Parent Communication in the Tough Moments
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Room 310
We’ve all had that moment, hovering over “send” or debating a phone call. This interactive session explores how to engage families when concerns arise about behavior, safety, or expectations. Learn from a camp public relations expert as Jeff discusses real-world scenarios. Be ready to bring your questions to the session to get real-time answers! Through relatable scenarios, you’ll learn how to communicate clearly, preserve relationships, and keep parents on your team—even when conversations get tough.

Unique Camp Superpowers: Maximizing How Camp Grows Great People
2026-03-10 14:00 - 15:00
Join us to learn Michael’s new, creative “theory of everything” to describe in a fresh, exciting way, exactly how we can use the highly practical, fundamental elements of camp that make it a uniquely powerful tool for change. And of course, this comes with Michael’s trademark “tons of immediately usable examples” approach. These are the specific, terrific tools for your most world-changing summer ever. Boost the way we keep the most powerful promise of the camp experience: making sure that we are using camp for its greatest and most marketable purpose. Michael, the author of the bestselling “Intentional Camp: Putting More Muscle in the Mission of Character & Youth Development,” will show a laser-like focus on mission, demonstrating both new and essential ways to train, motivate, supervise, support, and coach every member of our team to use our fun and engaging camp activities to build confidence, caring, cooperation, respect, responsibility, and much more.
