First summer since Camp Mystic spotlights camp safety
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Only one summer camp in Northwest Arkansas is accredited by the national organization that holds camps to a high industry standard.
Why it matters: Camps that aren't accredited are meeting their state's regulations, but those can vary from recommended industry standards. Unaccredited camps may or may not be meeting those standards, leaving it up to parents to know what to ask, American Camp Association CEO Henry DeHart told Axios.
- Accredited camps have undergone extensive education and training and have been found by association volunteers to be meeting as many as 266 standards annually.
Driving the news: 27 girls died in a flood in 2025 at Camp Mystic in Texas, prompting investigations into staff training and preparedness. The camp, which was not accredited by the American Camp Association, will not reopen.
- Texas has since updated some of its laws to prevent such tragedies in the future, and another 11 states are working directly with the association to strengthen their laws around camp safety and emergency preparedness. Arkansas is not one of those states, though the last legislative session was spring 2025 before Camp Mystic and the next one isn't until spring 2027.
What they're saying: "Parents believe that because camps serve youth that they're pretty heavily regulated. That is actually not the case in most of the country," DeHart said.
- He added that many camps meet higher standards than their states require because their insurance companies require them.
Zoom in: Arkansas requires camps to obtain licenses and that staff undergo criminal background checks, which are both practices that the association recommends and not all states mandate.
- Arkansas Department of Education officials did not respond to Axios' questions about camp regulations. Out-of-school facilities that offer "before and after school care, extended care during the school holiday, summer day camps and youth development programs" must have written plans detailing the procedures to follow in the event of emergencies like floods, tornadoes or fires, according to information available on the department's website. To be accredited by the association, camps must also rehearse emergency plans.
- The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management does not require camps to have emergency preparedness plans, but highly recommends they do and offers assistance to those developing one, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cindy Murphy told Axios. The Arkansas State Fire Marshal's Office inspects buildings to ensure fire codes are in compliance.
- The state's health department permits and inspects components of camps like pools and food services, spokesperson Sarah Morris told Axios.
The latest: The organization is seeing a surge in camps pursuing accreditation following Camp Mystic, DeHart said. Nationally, about 13% of camps are accredited.
The association lists eight Arkansas camps, including Camp War Eagle in Rogers, as accredited. Camp War Eagle did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.