Summer camps aren't ready for the summers we have now | Opinion

Last June, I sent my three daughters to summer camp just as a record heat wave settled over the mid-Atlantic. More than 100 million Americans faced oppressive, record-breaking triple-digit heat indexes that week.

One of my girls was at a lacrosse camp run by the University of Virginia. The other two were at a small basketball program closer to home in the Washington, DC, area. The communication I recently received revealed how prepared each camp was for a growing reality of American summer: weather extremes.

The University of Virginia program said staff would monitor a wet bulb meter, which uses heat and humidity to determine how well a body can cool itself, and call "go" or "no go" based on reaching certain temperature thresholds tied to regional safety standards. Most outdoor sessions were moved to indoor activities like skits and dodgeball.

The smaller basketball camp didn't have a wet bulb meter. It had one un-air-conditioned gym, another with weak A/C and a few fans pointed in from the corners. The coaches were doing their best, but there were no clear protocols and no proactive communication with families. I only heard about how they were coping in passing, at drop-off and pickup.

Both camps cared deeply about the kids, and no one was harmed. Yet heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States ‒ and only one of those camps was prepared for it.

Summers are more dangerous than they used to be

This summer, more than 26 million American children and adults are going to summer camps. They are heading into a season where extreme weather is more frequent, more intense and more geographically widespread than it was a generation ago.

Beyond extreme heat, our changing climate brings wildfire smoke, storms and floods that are more severe than the summers many of us remember.

Whether it's the oppressive heat we experienced on the East Coast or the tragic floods that devastated Camp Mystic in Texas, our kids are vulnerable to risks we did not face. The patchwork of state and local rules that regulate camp safety leaves wide gaps.

Those gaps were on full display in the wake of Camp Mystic, where young counselors received no training and the emergency plan failed when it was needed most. Voluntary accreditation through the American Camp Association sets a higher bar, but only a few camps pursue it.

Every camp in the country should be ready for the summers we actually have ‒ not the ones we used to have. Camps need a clearer view of how climate risks could intensify in their region.

There are sensible ways to prepare for summer

Keeping kids safe in today's climate rests on three factors: infrastructure; policies and practices; and the awareness of the people on the ground.

Camps in heat-prone areas need reliable cooling spaces. Indoor facilities should be equipped to filter wildfire smoke when air quality deteriorates. Cabins, activity areas and evacuation routes should be designed for flooding and severe weather, rather than making assumptions about what has historically been safe.

Camps also need clear policies and practices for responding to dangerous conditions. Activity modifications and cancellations should be tied to objective standards ‒ such as wet bulb globe temperature for heat, the air quality index for wildfire smoke, and established weather-warning thresholds for storms and flooding.

Emergency plans should be documented, rehearsed and updated regularly. Families should also know how and when camps will communicate if conditions change rapidly.

Finally, staff should be trained on the climate risks most likely to affect their camps and how to respond in emergencies. They should know what to do during a flash flood warning or severe storm, and how to recognize the early signs of heat illness.

Campers, too, can be taught age-appropriate ways to stay safe and look out for one another.

Safer camping should be mandatory, not optional

The American Camp Association took a promising step by launching a national initiative to help camps better prepare for climate risks, but voluntary standards can only go so far.

State and local licensing systems should require basic climate preparedness: heat protocols, wildfire-smoke thresholds, flood and storm evacuation plans, and regular staff training. This should not depend on whether a camp has the resources or foresight to act on its own.

We do not leave other core child-safety protections to voluntary compliance. For example, federal law requires background checks for people working with children, and every state requires children in cars use seat belts. Climate preparedness should be treated no differently.

State and local health agencies also have a role to play by creating clear public guidance, resources and tools about local hazards, and the steps needed to keep kids safe.

Summer camp still offers things many parents want for their children: long days outside, independence, meaningful friendships and childhood memories. We want our kids off their devices, learning resilience and confidence away from home.

We also want our children to come home safe.

After Camp Mystic, many parents are carrying a new kind of anxiety into camp season. Parents are left wondering how to evaluate risks they never expected before.

Does the camp have a real emergency action plan? Has the staff been trained for extreme heat or flash floods? What are the risks in this location? If the answers are unclear, does that mean saying no to something their children love?

The question is no longer whether camps should prepare for climate extremes, but whether we are willing to make that preparation visible, expected and universal.

Laura A. Schifter is a national climate and education adviser and a senior fellow with the Aspen Institute.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Summer camps aren't ready for the summers we have now | Opinion

Reporting by Laura A. Schifter, Opinion contributor / USA TODAY

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This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:04 AM.