Background and Philosophy

Dunnabeck at Kildonan, the oldest residential program of its kind, was established in 1955 to meet the needs in a camp setting of intelligent children who are underachieving or failing in their academic work because of dyslexia or language based learning disabilities.

Dunnabeck at Kildonan provides the necessary kinds of teaching to students who return from their summer of intensive work to find successes in school, often for the first time. The camp's outdoor setting, informal atmosphere, and varied recreational program enables students to work hard without feeling that they are being deprived of a summer.

To achieve this, the camp recreational program is designed to complement rather than compete with the academic one. Specifically, we concentrate on those activities that develop self-confidence and creativity since failure in school seems to inhibit creativity as well as erode confidence.