The Pillars of Education Lack an Important Component: Preserving Childhood
by Marla Coleman

Like everyone else, I keep reading the cascading articles predicting what we might need to trim from our budgets in the face of this recession. But I bristle when I see stories that suggest we tighten our belts when it comes to camp or another "gift of life" for our children. One thing I know for sure is the last place we would and should reduce our spending is on the future of our children and the nation.

I believe that President Obama's educational "pillars" need to be adjusted to reflect the valuable component of a camp experience: lengthening the school day and year will not actually promote "innovation and excellence in America's schools" if they preclude opportunities for play and closeness with nature. This is not about politics but about preserving childhood. To those who might not fully recognize the immeasurable value of the camp experience, I confidently assert:

Camp is not a privilege but a prerequisite for success.  In order to achieve the outcomes identified by the President's "pillars of education," we must include ample time in that educational arena for the camp community's "three pillars of hope:"

• closeness with nature
• connections with others
• human-powered activities

Perhaps the President should include a sixth pillar promoting the importance of camp, so that on the path to success our children can glean the benefits of first-hand discovery, intergenerational relationships, and creative play.

A child without these supports and opportunities risks failure to thrive, not as an infant but as an adolescent – regardless of the amount of hours spent in school.

Camp is essential for all children. Research continues to provide evidence that, of all the different youth development opportunities, camp should not be discretionary.  The camp experience helps children develop critical skills, such as leadership, independence, decision-making, resilience, and the ability to make authentic human connections.

Peg Smith, the CEO of the American Camp Association®, talks about camp as "a field guide to preserving childhood." She explains that "for generations, children grew up outside. They walked to school, rode their bikes, and walked barefoot through the grass. Childhood was characterized by innocence, imagination, wonder, and laughter." In contrast, today's children spend over five hours each day plugged in to some kind of electronic medium.

As I stated in a recent post on my blog, "Bedtime Stories for Parents," camp is a powerful learning laboratory – safe, collaborative, empathic, meaningful, supportive environments, created exclusively for children to practice growing up. There they learn to connect with nature, with others, and with themselves. There is no substitute for play as the vehicle for learning; there is no way to circumvent nature without stifling one's ability to understand his or her place in the universe, not to mention the preservation of our natural world.

Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood used to say, "Play is the work of childhood." And connection to nature frees a child to explore and to discover the world around him, to invent and even re-invent himself.

Anyone who has witnessed the magic of the forest or has felt the magical influence of the camp environment knows that we have to advocate in every way possible to preserve these experiences for our children.

Marla Coleman is a past president of the American Camp Association, the co-author of Crisis Communications: A Handbook for Camps and Other Youth Programs, and the author of the blog, "Bedtime Stories for Parents." She and her family own and operate Coleman Family Camps. She blogs at MarlaColeman.com, and she can be contacted at blog@MarlaColeman.com.

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