ESF Summer Camps has been a pioneering leader among summer day camps and a significant influence in the lives of children since its humble beginnings in 1982. Nearly three decades ago, at the respective ages of 15 and 11, brothers and budding entrepreneurs Michael and Bill Rouse organized a two-week summer tennis camp for neighborhood kids in Haverford, PA.

Davis Parker, then Headmaster of The Haverford School gave these two young brothers the life-changing opportunity to host their first-ever camp on school grounds in the summer of 1982. The original two-week camp sold-out instantly and was a huge hit with campers and parents alike.

Despite their young age, they rolled up their sleeves and approached their first camp with an extraordinary can-do attitude to make the experience a fun and memorable one for all of their campers. Little did they know that their ground-breaking two-week venture would one-day evolve into the country's premier day camp company, ESF Summer Camps!

For the first nine years of ESF's modest existence, Michael and Bill worked out of their parents' basement during the off-season in Haverford, PA. Even though both brothers had opportunities to attend college in far-away parts of the country, they both chose to stay local at Villanova University in order to continue developing a series of one-of-a-kind summer camp programs.