Camp is fun…campfires, friends, songs, skits, The Dance, the games…it’s pretty much a fact. What’s not talked about as much is camp’s role in developing life-long learners. Good camps give their campers opportunities to be curious, creative, explore, and develop new skills. Good camps increase campers’ exposure to the world, get them outside, introduce them to new people, and encourage them to try new ways of doing things. Simply put, good camps are fun AND help people learn.

On October 22, I attended a speech by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan and asked him a question, "What are your ideas or possible plans for partnering with summer camps…?"

"I am all for camping," he said. "I am a city kid, and I think anything that promotes getting out and increasing exposure to the world is important" (Transcript 10/22/2009). Secretary Duncan's support for camps and other out-of-school time learning programs aligns with the recent wave of support from the White House. And just this past summer, The Johns Hopkins University National Center for Summer Learning announced the President's proclamation declaring July 9, 2009, as "National Summer Learning Day" (Ozier, 2010).

But don’t kids learn enough in school? Aren’t they pushed hard enough already? Don’t they deserve…need…a break? Isn’t that what the summer is for…to chill?

I’m not advocating for year-round school, but as a youth development professional I have to acknowledge a well-documented phenomenon known as “summer learning loss.” Children routinely lose over half a year of learning, especially in math and science, when they are not challenged over the summer (Cooper, H., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J., and Greathouse, S. 1996). In suburban schools, literacy is also lost, but not to the degree math skills are, mostly thanks to required summer reading lists. Camp, family vacations, summer programs…they have all been linked to hindering summer learning loss (Rothstein, 2005). FYI-Peconic Dunes opened a camp library in 2007...all campers are encouraged to grab a book at rest hour and free times.