Summer Camps at USM Now Accredited by the ACA

After a thorough review process, USM Summer Camps is now accredited by the American Camp Association, making it one of only 26 day camps in the state to have earned this accreditation.
USM Summer Camps is now accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA), signifying that the program is in compliance with the highest standards in the industry. To receive the accreditation status, USM’s Auxiliary Programs office—which houses the school’s summer and other camps—participated in a thorough review of its operations, including staff, facilities, policies, and more. USM Summer Camps is currently one of only 26 day camps in the state of Wisconsin to be accredited by the ACA.

Benefits of ACA accreditation include gaining a framework to manage resources, offering best practices in policies and procedures, and striving for continuous improvement. Accreditation also demonstrates, through voluntary participation in the ACA’s peer-review accreditation process, the camp’s commitment to providing the best possible experience and to being transparent in its practices and standards.

Sabrina Raber, director of Auxiliary Programs at USM, spent nearly a year preparing for the July 2025 visit from ACA representatives. She compiled documentation of compliance for 290 individual standards ranging from hiring policies and staff training to food service and storage protocols, insurance coverage, vehicle maintenance, health screenings for campers and staff, 
and more.  

Although arduous, the accreditation process is an opportunity to evaluate the program objectively and determine where and how improvements could be made. For example, camp administrators now have written documentation for the storage and maintenance of specialized equipment like fishing rods and ice skates, and they increased the number of staff hired to be in compliance with the ACA-specified ratios of students to counselors.

“Being accredited should be a signifier to parents that we are both aware of and concerned about camper safety, risk management, and making sure that everything is done to the highest quality in our camps,” said Raber. “It means someone visited and observed our camps and said, ‘Yes, you’re doing everything properly, the way it should be done,’ and I think that’s a great reflection on us.”