Camp Safety, Preparedness, and Protecting America's Youth

MARTINSVILLE, Ind., June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the bipartisan Congressional Camp Caucus, the American Camp Association (ACA) will convene congressional leaders, camp professionals, and national preparedness experts on June 2 for a Capitol Hill briefing focused on strengthening safety, emergency preparedness, and child protection efforts across America's camps and youth-serving organizations. As camps nationwide prepare to welcome millions of children this summer, the bipartisan discussion, Camp Safety, Preparedness, and Protecting America's Youth, hosted in partnership with the Senate Camp Caucus chaired by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and James Lankford, will examine how camps, policymakers, and community partners can respond to evolving risks and strengthen preparedness efforts nationwide.

The briefing will explore the challenges facing camps and youth-serving organizations while highlighting collaborative strategies to improve emergency planning, operational resilience, and child safety practices. Discussion topics will include lessons learned following the 2025 Texas flooding tragedy, advancements in forecasting and preparedness technology, ACA's ongoing accreditation and safety initiatives, and implementation of the bipartisan Child Protection Improvements Act (CPIA).

Featured speakers include:

• Scott Brody, American Camp Association Government Affairs Committee Cochair and Camp Sewataro and Everwood Day Camp Owner, Massachusetts (Moderator)
• Henry DeHart, President and CEO, American Camp Association
• Sterling Nell Leija, American Camp Association Interim Chief of Staff and Innovative Camp Company Cofounder
• Ed Kearns, PhD, Chief Science Officer, First Street
• Steve Baskin, American Camp Association Board Chair and Camp Champions, Texas

At this event, the American Camp Association (ACA) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with First Street, the leading provider of physics-based climate models trusted by the world's largest financial institutions, real estate firms, and government agencies. Through this collaboration, camps will gain free access to property-level risk assessments and forward-looking climate data designed to support emergency preparedness, operational resilience, and long-term planning.

Summer camps operate in a wide range of geographic environments where understanding risk is essential not only for emergency response planning, but also for proactive site planning, infrastructure investments, and day-to-day operational decision-making. Using science-based information can support informed decision-making across a variety of hazards and changing environmental conditions.

"Camps are responsible for making thoughtful decisions every day to protect campers and staff," DeHart said. "By collaborating with First Street, we are helping camps access powerful tools and data that support informed decision-making and stronger preparedness strategies."

Founded in 2016, First Street is a public benefit company that makes the physics of climate risk usable for real-world decisions. Its models quantify property-level exposure to flood, wildfire, extreme wind, heat, drought, and other climate hazards, both today and under future climate scenarios. First Street's data informs decisions across real estate, finance, infrastructure, and government, and is integrated into platforms used by millions of Americans to understand the risks facing their homes and communities.

"Camps operate in some of the environments where climate risk is changing fastest, from flooding to wildfire to extreme heat, and the decisions leaders make today will shape camper safety for decades to come," said Matthew Eby, founder and CEO of First Street. "We're proud to partner with ACA to give camp leaders the same rigorous, science-based view of risk that informs decisions at the highest levels, so they can protect what matters most today and plan for what's ahead."

First Street's models are built on peer-reviewed, physics-based science and validated against observed events. Through this collaboration, ACA and First Street aim to increase access to actionable information to help camps strengthen emergency preparedness strategies, support safer operations, and make informed decisions for today and the future.

About the American Camp Association 
The American Camp Association® (ACA) is a national organization serving the more than 20,000 year-round and summer camps in the US that annually serve more than 26 million campers. ACA is committed to collaborating with those who believe in quality camp and outdoor experiences for children, youth, and adults. ACA provides evidence-based education, professional development, and advocacy for the camp industry. ACA is the only independent national accrediting body for the organized camp experience. ACA accreditation signifies a camp's voluntary commitment to the health, safety, risk management, and overall wellbeing of campers and staff. For more information, visit ACAcamps.org.

About First Street
At First Street, we are on a mission to connect climate and financial risk. For a decade, our scientists have created transparent, peer-reviewed physical climate risk models that quantify the financial impacts of perils such as flood, wildfire, heat, cold, extreme wind, and drought for every property in the world. The First Street Enterprise Suite, our global software platform, transforms these models into actionable financial signals for decision-makers worldwide. First Street is the standard for Climate Risk Financial Modeling, empowering asset owners, asset managers, governments, real estate investors, corporations, and millions of homebuyers every day to make climate-informed decisions.

The congressional briefing will take place Tuesday, June 2, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in SVC 209-08.

SOURCE American Camp Association