National Camping School is an adult-only week-long training program that the BSA runs across the country at various locations/times to help ensure that summer camp directors are better prepared to teach and train. So as to not reinvent the wheel, the BSA offers third-party certification through NCS for some courses, such as Leave No Trace training from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, firearm instructor training from the National Rifle Association training, lifeguard training from the Red Cross, etc.

The meaning of the National Camping School Patch:

• The elk antlers refer to the great outdoors and the conservation of wildlife.
• The 13 points on the antlers indicate the 12 points of the Scout Law and the duty to God.
• The red outer circle represents the aquatic program, which holds the number one interest for boys in the camp program.
• The teepee stands for the tent camper, the shelter a real camper sets up for himself. The three teepee poles represent the three fingers of the Scout sign.
• The green inner circle stands for the green of all growing things in the out-of-doors.
• Though you can’t see him through the teepee door, there is a boy in the teepee looking for the great adventure of real camping in the Boy Scouts of America. Our job is to fulfill and even surpass his high expectations.

The Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation, located in northern New Jersey, was a major Boy Scout training facility for almost 50 years. Schiff Scout Reservation was in operation from 1932-1979. After the National Council moved its headquarters in 1979 from New Brunswick, New Jersey to Irving, Texas, the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico became the new home of the National Training Center.