Counselors: Requirements, Return Rates, Ratios

According to MDPH, "counselors working at a licensed day camp must be at least 16 years of age....  A counselor working at a licensed residential, sports, travel, trip, or special needs camp must be 18 years of age or have graduated from high school....  All counselors at licensed camps in MA are required to be at leat three years older than the campers they supervise."

ACA reports that typically 40-60% of counselors return to a camp each summer.

The required ratio of counselors to campers is variable, depending upon the ages of the campers, the activity, and the type of camp.  The median is one counselor: seven/eight campers.