summer camp program

YMCA campers wading in a lake in Massachusetts, 2004. Attendees of summer camps often enjoy outdoor activities. Boy Scouts learning fire safety at Camp Cherry Valley in 2026

A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp , is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps are known as campers. They are generally offered overnight accommodations for one or two weeks out in an outdoor natural campsite setting. Day camps, by contrast, offer the same types of experience in the outdoors but children return home each evening. Summer school is a different experience that is usually offered by local schools for their students focused on remedial education to ensure students are prepared for the upcoming academic year or in the case of high school students, to retake failed state comprehensive exams necessary for graduation. Summer residential and day camps may include an academic component but it is not a requirement. They often aim to promote independence, social skills, and outdoor learning through structured group activities.