Our History

Since 1893 and born out of a desire to address inequity, Cambridge Camping has made out of school and summer programming accessible to children and youth from under-resourced circumstances. The magic of camp is at the essence of all programming, as camp represents a unique and special sense of community, mentorship, and connection. What began as a program to bring children from the city to the country to enjoy nature, has grown into an organization that has made it possible for over 25,000 children to engage in life changing summer and school year enrichment experiences.

In 1893, Boston Country Week and Cambridge East End Union formed a collaboration to sponsor and coordinate the placement of 14 children and mothers from the city into country boarding houses for a week in the summer. This continued each summer and the program was called Cambridge Country Week. By 1898, the number served grew to over 100 children each summer. Cambridge Country Week expanded to include partnerships with Avon Home, Margaret Fuller House, Associated Charities, and the YWCA. The first business sponsors included historic organizations such as Carter’s Ink, Ginn & Co., the Business Men’s Association, and Chandler and Co. For perspective, in 1893 Cambridge Country Week was transporting children and moms to the country by trolley, the first gas powered automobile was invented, and penicillin had not yet been discovered. Cambridge Camping History

Responding to the growing problem of polio, in 1918 Cambridge Country Week began sending children further away from the city into Vermont and New Hampshire, and throughout the 1920s there was a move away from rural home placements towards overnight camps. In 1943, Cambridge Country Week changed its name to Cambridge Camping Association. In 1969, as overnight camp fees began to rise and racial tensions in Cambridge were leading to violence, Cambridge Camping launched a day camp which is now called Adventure Day Camp. The intention was to serve children from urban and under-resourced circumstances who resided in every neighborhood in Cambridge to bridge racial and economic divides and calm tensions in the city that were leading to turf wars and gang violence.

By 1989 it became clear that there was great need for a specialized camp to serve children who had greater social, emotional, and behavioral needs, and Daybreak Day Camp was created as the first summer program in Cambridge for children with special needs. Daybreak serves children with diagnoses related to social, emotional, and behavioral challenges including ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, PTSD, mood disorder, and language and learning disabilities. Daybreak actively recruits children who need positive, sustained relationships with trusted adults that lead to successes beyond programs to home, school and community.

Since 2018, Cambridge Camping has expanded supports to campers and camper families through year-round programming that includes: STEAM focused school vacation camps for middle schoolers; Saturday and afterschool programs for elementary schoolers; and learning sessions to build community and share resources with caregivers of children impacted by trauma and disability. Workforce development is a core component of Cambridge Camping’s work. Our programs are staffed by teens and young adults who learn about trauma sensitive care, disabilities, youth development, program planning, camper and program evaluation and a committed practice of inclusion and diversity. Cambridge Camping has never departed from its founding mission, and is driven by the same passion for access, equality and social justice with which it began.