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About Explore Camps

Explore Camps began offering quality summer programs to the university and surrounding community in 2006. Over the last eighteen years, Explore Camps has expanded to offer more than 50 unique programs each year. We partner with university academic departments and local educators to offer a variety of STEM, art, social studies, and various other types of academic enrichment summer camps.

Meet Our Camps Team

Valerie Taylor

Associate Director | 850-474-3221 | vtaylor@uwf.edu

Valerie facilitates all youth education programs for The University of West Florida’s Continuing Education department. Valerie serves as Director of Explore Summer Camps is responsible for coordinating all camp programs and activities for the last several years. A graduate of UWF, Valerie spent several years working in early and elementary classrooms in our community and abroad prior to coming to work for UWF.

Award-Winning Summer Camps

Explore Camps is proud to be recognized as an Inweekly Best Summer Camp from 2018-2023! For over 20 years, Inweekly has called on the residents of Pensacola to vote for their favorite community partners in various categories. UWF Explore Camps is proud to have continuously been recognized as one of the Best Summer Camps in Pensacola each year— and voted the Best Summer Camp in 2022 and 2023! We are incredibly grateful to the community members and camp families who continue to support our mission for fun, educational, STEAM-based camps and cast their votes each year.

UWF Continuing Education and Explore Summer Camps have received top honors from the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) as well as from the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA). Both organizations recognize outstanding credit and non-credit programs throughout the Southern region. Programs are judged on innovation, creativity, success, impact, and adaptability. UWF is proud to have been selected for the ACHE South Distinguished Non-Credit Program Award in 2010 as well as the UPCEA South Outstanding Program Award in 2011.