Safety at Camp

Camp Winnebago is proud to be accredited by the American Camp Association. ACA has been in existence for more than 90 years and "works to preserve, promote, and improve the camp experience." At YMCA Camp Winnebago the safety our campers is our top priority. Only 25% of summer camps across the nation receive this accreditation through meeting as many as 300 standards for health, safety, and program quality. Camp Winnebago is also inspected and licensed by the Illinois Department of Health. 

A large portion of this accreditation is dedicated to the proper screening, hiring, and training of our camp counselors.

Superior Staff: 

In everyone’s lives, there are inspiring people and great moments that they will remember forever. That is why our staff plays such an important role here at Camp W. They model the core values we teach to campers. Every camp counselor has been carefully selected and trained in first aid, CPR, child abuse prevention, and much more. Many of our staffers have completed our Staff Development Program. This program trains teens (ages 14-17) to support the counselors, campers and activities. The ratio of staff to campers range from 1:6 to 1:12 based on age.

Every year staff members start arriving in waves to complete part or all of our 3 weeks of specialized trainings that include lifeguard certification, challenge facilitator certification, behavior management, conflict resolution, planning age-appropriate activities, and risk management. In addition to learning all the policies and procedures of the YMCA of Rock River Valley and Camping Services programs, staff members learn how to create the magic of camp. They explore techniques of how to better interact with children, build other’s self-esteem and confidence, and become experts in songs, games, skits, and arts & crafts projects. At the end of our training, they are ready to use their new skills and knowledge with campers.