A View from the Woods.The time is now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow -- but now. It is time to hold hands and encircle en·cir·cle tr.v. en·cir·cled, en·cir·cling, en·cir·cles 1. To form a circle around; surround. See Synonyms at surround. 2. To move or go around completely; make a circuit of. our children and youth within safe and nurturing environments. And we need not reach just for the hands of those in the camp community but extend our grasp to reach the hands of others who are committed to enriching the lives of children and youth. This is an important task, not for our benefit, but for the children and youth we see on a daily basis, as well as for those who have not yet had the opportunity to experience camp, those who do not attend due to economics, culture, or awareness. Many of you have heard me speak of the need to advance the concept of a year-round learning calendar. I am not speaking of year-round school Year-Round School is the operation of educational institutions on a calendar-system that tracks students into class schedules throughout the entire calendar year. A primary motivation is that higher student throughput is accomplished via more effective scheduling of school but year-round learning that integrates the best of two worlds: camps and schools. Fight Crime: Invest in Kids in D.C. recently published an article, "Fighting Tough, Fighting Smart," which states, "The most powerful weapons in our anti-crime arsenal are the investments in children and youth that get them off to the right start and help them grow up with the skills and moral values to be good citizens instead of criminals and make investments like quality educational preschool care, the prevention of child abuse and neglect, good schools and after-school programs, and school-to-work and job training programs so all kids can look forward to making an honest living as contributing members of the community." Now, one can assume "after-school programs," by implication, could mean us. However, I want the article to read "camps"! Camp should be recognized as a viable contributor to the development of children and youth. To be recognized as such requires several things. Public awareness is certainly one, and our slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. Slogans vary from the written and the visual to the chanted and the vulgar. "Camp Gives Kids a World of Good" has promoted our value. In turn, parent expectations and public demands for quality have grown. However, we must recognize that a major determinant determinant, a polynomial expression that is inherent in the entries of a square matrix. The size n of the square matrix, as determined from the number of entries in any row or column, is called the order of the determinant. of quality is developmental practice. Developmental practice includes curriculum (good programs), positive adult-child interactions, and partnerships with parents. Our ability to demonstrate and articulate articulate /ar·tic·u·late/ (ahr-tik´u-lat) 1. to pronounce clearly and distinctly. 2. to make speech sounds by manipulation of the vocal organs. 3. to express in coherent verbal form. 4. our commitment to quality is becoming increasingly important in today's environment. Not only do parent expectations and public demands create an atmosphere that challenges us to show evidence of developmentally appropriate programming, but the facts that we are dealing with younger and younger children, that day camps are extending their hours, and that diversity in ages and abilities are growing all require a renewed demonstration of quality. We need to recognize that accreditation accreditation, n a process of formal recognition of a school or institution attesting to the required ability and performance in an area of education, training, or practice. has provided an exemplary foundation recognizing the primary responsibility to health and safety, but accreditation alone does not address quality as identified by the needs of children and youth. We must now begin to recognize and promote our best practices in the areas of curriculum development, adult-child relationships, and partnerships with parents. We have issues of accountability, liability, and responsibility that are increasingly brought to our attention through public policy, ethics ethics, in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a , and public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most . More importantly, we have an opportunity to set the stage by illustrating how the camp experience does add value to the development of children, youth, and adults. ACA ACA - Application Control Architecture and the camp community must continue to aggressively pursue research, best practices, and professional development, all designed to validate To prove something to be sound or logical. Also to certify conformance to a standard. Contrast with "verify," which means to prove something to be correct. For example, data entry validity checking determines whether the data make sense (numbers fall within a range, numeric data the quality of the camp experience and its positive impact on lives. Shame on us if camp is not included in the development of a year-round learning calendar. The time is clearly now. Peg L. Smith ACA Executive Director |
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