Camp Head Strong

A Fun, Supportive, and Empowering Environment for Children and Teens with Hydrocephalus

Camp Head Strong offers children and teens with hydrocephalus (ages 10-17) five days and four nights of summer fun, education, and social connections. Condition-specific camps have proven to be an effective way for children to learn more about their conditions and to develop adaptive behaviors. At Brainy Camps of Children’s National, children learn from peers and adult volunteers who live effectively with the same health conditions and are offered hope for the future.

Camp Head Strong was developed by Brainy Camps in conjunction with the Hydrocephalus Association. In addition to fun, the goal of Camp Head Strong is to reduce the social isolation often associated with this condition and increase each camper’s knowledge and understanding of hydrocephalus. The camp provides opportunities for the children and teens to work with professional staff and become better self-advocates and self-managers of their condition. Parents can feel comfortable that their children are under the care of trained and experienced doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals who are experts in the field.

Medical staff, including physicians, nurses, social workers, a physical therapist, and a psychologist, are on-site 24 hours a day and counselors are trained to deal with issues related to this condition. Campers participate in a myriad of activities. Support groups and educational programs promote knowledge, skill development and social connections and campers gain a better understanding of their condition, strengths, and self-worth.

Please contact Brainy Camps at brainycamps@childrensnational.org for more information.

A camper from our 2019 camp wrote an article about her first time experience at camp. Hopefully this will give even more insight into the type of impact that this camp has on our camper. 

Camp Head Strong 2021 received support from the following: 
private donors