At Liberty Lake, we teach young people the skills of life.
Our philosophy is best explained through our 5-Star-Points of Youth Development, developed because we’re youth development professionals with high expectations. We believe that every moment of every day at camp is an opportunity for both campers and team members to positively impact each other’s lives. It is a profound mindset we teach the many children who attend our camp.
If you yourself never attended summer camp, it’s easy to assume the camp experience is an enjoyable form of summer child care, and you would be right—if camp isn’t fun, what’s the point in going? But at Liberty Lake, our purpose extends far beyond simply having FUN. Fun is just one of the many results of our summer camp.
After one summer season at Liberty Lake, your son or daughter will realize that real ‘fun’ isn’t generated by riding an endless variety of roller coasters. Fun is a natural byproduct of conquering fears, making friends, having real life experiences, learning life skills, and becoming the person you’re meant to be. Prepare yourself for our old school attitude—there is no Xbox or PlayStation at our camp. We are OUTDOORS and SCREEN-FREE – with no computers, tablets, or mobile devices available for free play. Liberty Lake’s philosophy is a different approach than any other summer camp. It ignites a life altering experience that will have your child begging for more the following summer!
This is why we’re so intentional about integrating our 5-Star-Points philosophy into our camp activities and electives. We monitor the many behaviors essential to being a decent human being and acknowledge campers when “caught” demonstrating these behaviors.
Have we tugged hard enough yet at the heartstrings of your goals and ambitions for your child? The core values of Liberty Lake’s 5-Star-Points of Youth Development are:
• Independence
• Integrity
• Aspiration
• Teamwork
• Friendship
(For a more thorough description regarding each star point’s characteristics, please click here)
Bundled into this system is the concept of intentional camp: Everything at Liberty Lake is done with the intention and purpose of furthering our philosophy and mission.
This unique approach to the summer camp experience provides children with a real world, real life experiential education that promotes mastery of our Star Points of Youth Development. Outcome research studies conducted by the American Camp Association (ACA), other youth-development organizations, and LIBERTY LAKE itself confirm that intentional-camp programs like ours truly WORK!
In a landmark 2005 study by the ACA and Philliber Research Associates, a remarkable 96% of the campers surveyed reported that camp helped them make new friends. (Please see Directions: Youth Development Outcomes of the Camp Experience for more information.) In 2014, we began conducting outcome surveys with both campers and their parents. So far, the results have been equally impressive.
We receive hundreds of letters and emails each season from parents, campers, and team members expressing the positive impact Liberty Lake has had on their lives. Camper testimonials like this one fill us with tremendous pride and inspire us to continually improve our version of the summer camp experience:
“My ten summers at Liberty Lake Day Camp have truly been a surreal experience. I couldn’t imagine anything else more fun and meaningful in my life.”
– C.C., Cherry Hill, NJ
Liberty Lake is committed to creating an environment that supports equal participation opportunities for campers and staff members regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, national origin, or disability.