Foodservice at Camp

What comes to mind when you think about ‘camp food’? Hotdogs and marshmallows roasting over a fire? Burgers on the grill? Perhaps even brown mush on a standard-issue cafeteria tray? How do camp dining options reflect the growing number of food allergies in Children (up 50% in recent years) When looking at finding an appropriate camp for your child, it is important to know that the foodservice offerings reflect the allergen needs of your child. Does the Camp have a ServeSafe food allergen certified staff member to coordinate allergy needs and concerns?

Kid- Friendly

“Broccoli? Gross!” Sound familiar in your home? As many parents are aware, it can sometimes be difficult to get a child to try new things, and many campers struggle with sensory aversions to specific foods. However, camp should help campers take a culinary adventure and try new things by making food fun and positively reinforcing adventurous food options: even if it’s just a bite of something new! If you haven’t heard of the Rainbow Challenge, campers strive to get (and try!) more colorful foods on their plates to win the challenge. Having regular snack times to accommodate campers whose medications sometimes make it difficult to eat on a regular meal schedule is an important kid-friendly consideration.

Hydration

Between basketball, gaga, archery, outdoor skills, soccer, and hot summer days, it is important that the summer program you choose has a hydration plan. This acknowledges that staying hydrated is vital for our active campers to stay happy and healthy while enjoying their summer experience. In addition to water coolers, and water bottles while out and about at their activities, what procedures are in place to make sure that kids are property hydrated at each meal. This helps with both hydration for the sake of replacing fluids, but also because many of the medications that kids take work better. Check out this research published by the NIH.

Healthy

Research shows that additives in junk food have the potential to negatively impact our campers and can exacerbate pre-existing conditions, so it is important that Dining Hall staff are camp collaborators to provide numerous healthy and nutritious options for campers during the summer. Having available plums, apples, oranges, and even mangoes regularly available, along with the open salad and soup bar can help kids make better food choices. When combined with protein-rich entrees, every meal provides well balanced dining experience. Interested in a sample camp menu that models this? This sample menu provides a key variety of offerings at camp. Variety is important in every diet, as studies have shown. With deli, salad bar, buffet options, breakfast spread, fruit selections, and grill line, every camper can get a balanced and nutritious meal during their summer experience to set them up for success well beyond the walls of the dining hall.

Special Diets

Have a camper with vegan, vegetarian, kosher, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergy-specific, or other dietary restricted diet? Be sure to communicate this with the Camp Director, Dining Hall supervisor and medical staff before enrolling in a camp to make sure that they are realistically set up for your child to be successful. Can you bring special food to accommodate dietary needs? Are there allergen alerts for common food allergens posted with all menu items? Can your child find a variety of options that meet their needs at each meal, or will specialized dietary needs lead to limited and repetitive choices? A good camp dining hall is prepared to accommodate dietary needs for all campers.

–Brian Lux and Reema Dixon

Brian is the owner/director of Camp Sequoia whose work has been presented at the World Gifted Conference. He is a licensed K-12 gifted educator dedicated to the whole person growth and support of exceptional populations. Details about his program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by phone at 610-771-0111. Reema Dixon is the associate director at Camp Sequoia and the ServSafe Allergen liaison for camp.

This post is part of the Choosing a Special Needs Camp guide on VerySpecialCamps.com.

I can still recall the babbling brook and the ancient oak that provided a perfect back rest at the first camp I attended. Since then, campers (and staff) have seen a technological revolution boggles the mind. According to NASA even the now outdated iPhone 5 has 240,000 times the memory than was on Voyager I, the first human made craft to enter interstellar space. Suffice it to say, the world that campers today face is substantially different from the one of my youth. From school systems pushing digital conversation and American children (on average) having their first smart phone before age 11, perhaps there is some wisdom in Bill Gates indicating to USA Today that his children were 14 before they had that level of connectivity. What does this mean for camps?

The research supports that meaningful social skills connections happen with authentic face to face interactions and not through superficial screen time. An authentic camp experience can scaffold the opportunity for social success without a 21st century security blanket of a phone or smart device. Camp can and should be a place to develop smart and socially resilient children in a nurturing and fun environment. Mindfulness and meditation are two strategies that give children back the tools of the awesome power of quietude. Over the last several years, Camp Sequoia has intentionally incorporated mindfulness and meditation training into our staff orientation, established places and systems for our campers to be able to recapture the serenity of a babbling brook, and conscious self-reflection. These programs add to a wide array of traditional camp activities and recognize the value and importance of teaching and modeling a level of personal reflection as we empower our campers to become the best version of themselves.

Specifically, we’ve identified two meditation garden locations, a bench under a majestic pin oak and a “rustic retreat” experience that allows our campers the time to develop the naturalistic intelligence and peace that comes from meaningful interactions with nature. We’ve found that although there is oft some initial resistance to missing an Instagram post or a Facebook needs feed in our unplugged camp community, these experiences give our campers the opportunity, permission, and staff support to relax. Camper and family end of summer feedback to having these experiences has been as positive as the reviews of our STEM program or excitement about our weekly trips. We look forward to continuing these types of programs in 2019 and beyond.

–Brian Lux

Brian is the owner/director of Camp Sequoia whose work with has been presented at the World Gifted Conference, the ACA tri-states conference and numerous regional venues for parent and educators. A 20-year veteran of camping, he is a licensed K-12 gifted educator dedicated to the meaningful growth of exceptional populations. Details about his program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by phone at 610-771-0111.

This post is part of the Special Needs Camp Life and Preparation guide on VerySpecialCamps.com.

Transition programs at special needs camps are designed for individuals who are preparing to move from structured educational environments into adult life. Unlike camps organized around a specific diagnosis or condition, transition programs focus on outcomes – building the vocational skills, behavioral self-regulation, social competencies, and daily living capabilities that allow a person to function independently in the workplace and community.

Who transition programs serve

Transition programs are appropriate for a wide range of underlying conditions. The defining characteristic is not the diagnosis but the developmental stage and goal: a participant who is approaching adulthood and working toward greater independence. Programs typically serve individuals in their late teens and early twenties, though age ranges vary by program. Because the focus is on skill acquisition and functional outcomes rather than diagnosis-specific therapy, transition programs draw participants with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury, and a range of other conditions that affect independent functioning.

All 60 transition program listings in this directory are coed. Three programs are all-girls focused and two are all-boys, reflecting the broad accessibility of this program type across gender lines.

Program formats

As of early 2026, VerySpecialCamps.com lists approximately 60 transition program camps nationwide, representing about 12% of all directory listings – a notably high concentration that reflects the strong demand for this type of programming. The majority of programs – 41 of 60 – operate as day camps, making them accessible for families whose participants cannot commit to extended time away from home. Thirty programs offer residential formats, which provide a more immersive environment for practicing independent living skills in a supported setting. Nineteen programs offer respite camp options and nine include travel camp components, which can be particularly valuable for developing real-world navigation and social skills outside a familiar environment.

Geographic distribution

California leads the directory with 6 transition program listings, followed by Massachusetts with 5 and Texas with 4. Minnesota and Virginia each have 2 programs listed. The geographic spread reflects both population density and the concentration of special education resources in certain states, though families willing to consider residential programs away from home have options across a broader range of locations.

What to look for in a transition program

Not all transition programs are equivalent in scope or intensity. When evaluating a program it is worth asking specifically about the vocational training components, whether the program addresses community integration and not just in-camp skill building, what the staff-to-participant ratio looks like, and whether the program has documented outcomes or graduate follow-up data. The breadth of conditions served by a given program is worth discussing directly with the director, since a program that serves participants across a wide range of functional levels may or may not be the right fit for a specific individual’s needs and goals.

Finding transition programs

Browse the full list at Transition Programs on VerySpecialCamps.com to filter by state, format, and program type. Each listing includes director-reported details about the program’s focus, age ranges, and session formats.

For camp directors

If you operate a transition program for individuals with special needs and are not yet listed on VerySpecialCamps.com, adding your listing connects you with families actively searching for exactly this type of programming. Visit the VerySpecialCamps.com director listing page to review options and sign up.

Just as schools, public and private, publish staff to student ratios, many camps provide prospective families with these numbers as an indication of supervision over the summer. When looking at these numbers it is important to keep several key questions in mind. Sometimes foodservice, maintenance, custodial and grounds keeping staff are included in these ratios, and savvy parent will delve more deeply into the numbers.

While certainly schools, or camps, count upon and value the good work of these support staff, their level of training and direct involvement in the life of your child may be different from trained education or human service professionals whose primary role is student or camper interaction. In general there are 7 basic questions to ask to determine if the staff and staffing ratio reflects the “ground truth” of who will be working with your child.

1)What staff members are included in the staffing ratio? This means, “ Do the secretaries and nurses count? What about the laundry staff or the dining hall folks?

2)Does the program use junior staff (counselors in training, junior counselors etc.) and are they reflected in the supervision ratio? Are high school students used as supervision of your child? If so, what is the supervisory structure for these junior staff?

3)What is the average staff age? While this isn’t a perfect metric, it can certainly speak to the culture of a program. If the average staff age is under 21, the camp will certainly have a different level of life experience in working with kids than if the average staff age is closer to 30.

4)Are the supervisory staff all college graduates? How many of the leadership team work with the population served by the camp in a year-round capacity as teachers, social workers, counselors etc.? Do they hold or are they pursuing advanced degrees?

5)How long is staff training? What assessments are used to determine staff mastery before your child arrives? Does this training include certification in Crisis Prevention, First Aid etc.?

6)What is the ratio of staff applicants to staff hires? This will give you an indication both the desirability to work at a given camp as well as the competitiveness of these positions.

7)Are there multiple background checks for staff (including an FBI fingerprint check) as part of the routine staffing process? Most states require background checks, but it is important to know that all due diligence is being taking to maintain a safe community. Pennsylvania, for example, requires 3 background checks including an FBI fingerprint check on all staff working with kids at camps or schools.

Each camp situation and camper population is different, but knowing the right staff questions to ask will help you make the best decision as to where your child has the greatest potential for success. The time and effort spent in building a quality-trained staff is fundamental to setting our campers up for the ability to become their best selves.

–Brian Lux, Camp Sequoia

Brian is the director of Camp Sequoia whose work with exceptional populations has been twice presented at the World Gifted Conference. He is a Crisis Prevention Instructor and licensed educator who has spent the last two decades dedicated to training superior camp staff to make meaningful and profound differences in the lives of kids. Details about his resident camp program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by email at office@camp-sequoia.com

This post is part of the Choosing a Special Needs Camp guide on VerySpecialCamps.com.

Summer camp facilities are built to accommodate groups – with lodging, dining, programming spaces, and outdoor areas designed to serve populations of all ages and needs. Outside of their primary camp season, a large number of these facilities make their properties available for group rentals, offering organizations, families, and companies access to equipped spaces that would otherwise be difficult to find through conventional event venue searches.

Why camp facilities work well for special needs groups

For families and organizations serving individuals with special needs, camp rental facilities offer meaningful advantages over conventional event venues. Camps that host special needs summer programs are already configured with accessibility considerations, structured activity spaces, medical support infrastructure, and staff experienced with diverse populations. A facility that operates as a special needs summer camp is likely to be a more suitable rental environment for a special needs organization retreat, family reunion, or therapeutic program than a standard conference center or hotel property.

What group rental facilities typically offer

Camp rental listings vary significantly in what they make available to groups. When evaluating a facility it is worth asking specifically about lodging accommodations and capacity, dining options and any dietary accommodation capabilities, available programming and recreational facilities, conference and meeting room availability, accessible dates relative to the primary camp season, and cost structure including any minimum booking requirements. Some facilities offer full-service rentals with on-site staff and programming support while others provide the space only.

Finding camp rental facilities

CampRentalChannel.com is dedicated specifically to camp facilities available for group rental. The directory allows visitors to search by location and filter by the specific criteria relevant to their group’s needs, including available dates, facility types, lodging capacity, and programming options.

For camp directors

If you operate a camp facility that offers group rentals and are not yet listed on CampRentalChannel.com, visit the CampRentalChannel.com director page to view listing options and sign up.

7 Strategies and Tips from Camp Sequoia

Twice-exceptional youth, those with demonstrated above average abilities with a secondary diagnosis that can serve as a social speed bump to engaging with peers effectively, can benefit from intentional structural strategies for success.

Beyond functional print, countdown reminders to transitions, and anticipatory sets, there are many ways high-functioning individuals who are carry a secondary diagnosis can benefit from an intentionally structured environment. It is important to provide this structure in a way that is both developmentally and cognitively appropriate for the student. The below strategies and tips are useful in a camp setting to maximize potential for positive outcomes.

1)Plan intentional spaces. Campers succeed if they have spaces where they can blend social growth with time for reflection. Age specific lounge spaces for campers in climate-controlled environments are wonderful counterpoints to having roommate interactions. Spaces that work regardless of weather are a huge asset to this population. An indoor pool, for example, means that there will not be a unexpected schedule interruption due to inclement weather. Similar principals work in a home and school environment.

2)Offer limited, but meaningful choices. Developmentally, having too many choices can be an overwhelming situation, but having no choices can feel disempowering. An appropriate compromise involves giving children a limited, but desirable palette of options (with plenty of notice) for them to have input into their day. Obviously, there is a sliding scale both in terms of autonomy and flexibility of choices based upon camper age.

3)Recognize and celebrate strengths. Working with the twice-exceptional mind often means tapping into a variety of support structures in both education and the community. As a licensed educator, too often the default is to look at perceived deficits as potholes to be filled in rather than celebrating strengths and using those to build confidence and ability to steer around those potholes. Coming from a position of strength helps to build confidence and empower growth.

4)Craft teachable moments. Inquiry learning is both an art and a science. It should not be enough to have someone teach art to a twice-exceptional child. The teaching of art should be used as a tool to help build confidence, social understandings, and context specific successes.

5)Allow for minor failures. Minor adversity facilitates growth. Giving the twice-exceptional child the ability to become more confident by learning from minor failures can ultimately boost self-confidence. For example, attempting a new activity or art project that is difficult will help twice-exceptional youth learn to increase their frustration tolerance and coping skills while understanding that often the process can be as important as the product.

6)Plan intellectual growth. Getting buy in beyond 3-D printing, or conversations with the international space station, the twice-exceptional mind often has insights that can be fostered through scaffolded topical conversations. At Camp Sequoia it is not unusual to sit in on deep conversations between campers on big philosophical issues of the day with trained staff scaffolding the discourse as needed to ensure that all campers are benefitting from the experience.

7)Reflect with stakeholders. At the end of the intentional experience, it is key to reflect with stakeholders and discuss successes, failures, perceptions, and recommendations for further opportunities to be successful in the classroom and beyond during the academic year (both in school and community settings)

–Brian Lux

Brian is the director of Camp Sequoia whose work with this population has been presented at the World Gifted Conference multiple times. He is a licensed K-12 gifted educator and has spent the last several decades dedicated to the meaningful growth of exceptional populations. Details about his program can be found at www.camp-sequoia.com or by email at office@camp-sequoia.com

This post is part of the Special Needs Camp Life and Preparation guide on VerySpecialCamps.com.

Therapeutic riding is a structured equine-assisted activity designed to support individuals with special needs in achieving cognitive, motor, social, sensory, speech, and self-esteem goals. Unlike general horseback riding offered as a recreational camp activity, therapeutic riding is delivered as a purposeful intervention – with trained instructors, certified equine specialists, and program design oriented around specific therapeutic outcomes for each participant.

What therapeutic riding is and how it works

Therapeutic riding falls under the broader classification of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies, commonly referred to as EAAT. Within this classification, therapeutic riding is one of several modalities that may be incorporated into an integrated treatment or programming regimen for individuals with special needs. Benefits associated with therapeutic riding include increased flexibility and range of motion, improved balance and strength, sensory integration support, and gains in confidence and self-esteem. The rhythmic movement of the horse provides physical and neurological stimulation that is difficult to replicate through other forms of therapy / activity.

Certification and accreditation

Instructor and equine specialist certification for therapeutic riding and other EAAT applications is available through professional associations including PATH International – the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. PATH International describes its mission as promoting “safety and optimal outcomes in equine-assisted activities and therapies for individuals with special needs.” Camps and organizations may earn and maintain accreditation through PATH, which provides families with a verifiable quality and safety benchmark when evaluating programs.

The difference between therapeutic riding and general horseback riding

This distinction is important for families specifically seeking therapeutic programming. Many special needs camps offer horseback riding as a general recreational activity, which may be enjoyable and beneficial without constituting a formal therapeutic riding program. A camp with a dedicated therapeutic riding program will have PATH-certified instructors or equivalent credentialing, individualized participant assessments, documented therapeutic goals, and equine specialists trained to support the specific needs of each rider. When evaluating a program it is worth asking directly about instructor certification, staff-to-participant ratios, and how the program is structured relative to individual therapeutic objectives.

Program formats

As of early 2026, VerySpecialCamps.com lists approximately 44 therapeutic riding camps nationwide, representing about 9% of all directory listings. Thirty-one programs operate as day camps and 22 offer residential formats, meaning some programs offer both. Fourteen programs include respite camp options and six include travel camp components. Programs are almost entirely coed – 43 of 44 listings serve both boys and girls, with one all-girls program listed.

Geographic distribution

Georgia leads the directory with 6 therapeutic riding camp listings, followed by Michigan with 5, and Florida and Pennsylvania each with 4. Kansas and North Carolina each have 2 programs listed. The geographic concentration in Georgia and Michigan likely reflects the presence of established PATH-accredited organizations in those states that have developed therapeutic riding as a core program emphasis rather than an ancillary activity.

Finding therapeutic riding camps

Browse the full list at Therapeutic Riding Camps on VerySpecialCamps.com to filter by state, format, and program type. Each listing includes director-reported details about the program’s focus, age ranges, and session formats. When contacting a program directly, asking about PATH certification and how therapeutic goals are established and tracked will help distinguish dedicated therapeutic riding programs from camps that offer horseback riding as a general activity.

For camp directors

If you operate a therapeutic riding program for individuals with special needs and are not yet listed on VerySpecialCamps.com, visit the VerySpecialCamps.com director listing page to review options and sign up.

What is People First Language?

In a nutshell, People First Language places the person before the “disability.” PFL is a manner of communication which describes conditions an individual might happen to be experiencing as secondary to their essential being – to who they are as a person.

Given that language is a powerful tool which often shapes our perceptions with respect to social interaction, this is not a trivial distinction. It is helpful in illuminating the unique, dynamic, and complex nature of any given individual versus simply pigeonholing people into restrictive and narrowly defined categories which neglect to reflect the entirety of one’s being.

Why the distinction matters

It might help to reflect upon that which defines the essential nature of what it is to be you. How do you define who you are? Do you believe it is accurate to define your existence by a single characteristic or attribute? How about several? Taken from the other extreme, can there ever be enough attributes to capture any given person’s essence?

Perhaps such philosophical questions are not always conducive to navigating through our daily lives in so far as interacting with others. So we often describe ourselves as: a parent, spouse, sibling, friend, professional, artist, musician – or maybe even as someone with a special need. When we label ourselves with a single word, there is a logical omission of an infinite number of other possibilities which might be just as accurate. Yet it would be cumbersome to relay such a dense array of information to others and still expect to carry on a conversation in a short period of time.

So how do we practically communicate what might be pertinent information about ourselves in a manner which does not subvert the notion that we as human beings are multi-dimensional and not defined by the narrow scope which language often boxes us into?

People First Language hinges upon an imperative that an individual is a person first – who may possess various qualities and conditions as secondary characteristics. Using language in such a way mitigates compartmentalizing people into typecasts as the central defining characteristic of their being. In the case of individuals who may happen to have special needs, this can be an extremely important distinction in parsing out such needs as secondary attributes versus the primary focal point of a person’s identity.

How VerySpecialCamps.com approaches People First Language

With regard to language used on the VerySpecialCamps.com website, we allow camp directors very wide latitude in describing the particular nature of their camp and program offerings, and almost never intervene in so far as editing content which appears on individual camp listing pages. We generally assume there to be a sufficient level of awareness by camp directors with respect to People First Language.

In addition to individual camp listings, we maintain a core set of information and search pages structured to allow visitors seeking camps and camp jobs to effectively locate a suitable camp of interest. And here is where there might be a point of contention: while we would like to promote the use of People First Language and have attempted to craft our language accordingly, we have realized that not everyone searching for camps on the internet is aware of or utilizes People First Language in the search terms they employ. Consequently, we have found ourselves in the position of sometimes utilizing terminology which is not necessarily in full accordance with People First Language principles – simply as a practical means of accessibility in the search engines and to help people make an initial connection with camps which serve individuals with special needs.

Hopefully, once a visitor has established a relationship with a camp director, they will be welcomed into and introduced to People First Language and adopt its manner of communication. We recognize there is a compromise being made, but our hope is that by straddling both worlds of language we will help the greater community and society as a whole to evolve in embracing People First Language – not necessarily just with respect to individuals with special needs.

Share your perspective

We invite you to share your thoughts and provide us with feedback. Feel free to contact us.