Safety is front of mind for Maine youth camps

MAINE PUBLIC • July 14, 2025

Camp safety is in the spotlight after flooding killed dozens of campers and counselors in Texas. The state of Maine oversees the licenses for 168 summer youth camps and inspects them every other year to assess safety, sanitation, how food is prepared, and health. The state just updated its regulations for camps in May for the first time in nearly 20 years. Jennifer Jamison, Associate Director of Community Health at the Maine Center for Disease Control, said her biggest concern this summer is heat. "Based on climate change, I think it is the heat advisories," Jamison said. "The Maine CDC sends out advisories to the camps to let them know there's going to be excessive heat and what to monitor and when children need to be seen."