CAMP History

The CAMP program was created as a part of the Higher Education Act (HEA) Section 418A, also known as PL89-329, in 1965. Funding for this program was originally handled annually by the U.S. Department of Labor, but moved to the U.S. Department of Education in 1980. The HEA was reauthorized in 1992 under PL102-325. In 1993, the CAMP program received its first five-year grant award, which extended grants for the program through 1997. The CAMP program is currently reauthorized under PL105-244, which was passed in 1998. This reauthorization is valid through 2003 with an automatic 1-year extension for 2004 under the General Education Provisions Act.
The first CAMP programs were founded in 1972 at St. Edwards University and Pan American University in Texas, Adams State College in Colorado and California State College in California. They were to provide students of migrant and seasonal farm workers access to post-secondary education. Since 1972, CAMP has grown to become a nation-wide program established in seventeen different states and Puerto Rico. Currently, there are forty-six CAMP programs and serving thousands of migrant students year round.