How to Start a Summer Camp

Summer camps are a great opportunity for kids and adults to develop relationships and create lasting memories. They’re also a business opportunity for people who specialize in education or communal activities. Teachers, creatives, educators, or coaches with a knack for business may want to consider opening a summer camp. 

This guide will help you understand the ins and outs of opening, running, and marketing your summer camp, including the different types of camps available to you and a step-by-step guide on getting started.

Types of summer camps

Not all summer camps are built or run the same. Many camps have different goals or attractions. For example, there are specialty camps for children learning a new skill, specific hobbies, or niche communities.

Some common summer camp types include:

• Day camp: These are designed and structured to engage campers during the workday. They give kids an opportunity to socialize, especially if they aren’t ready for sleepovers. For adult campers, they can be a lower-cost option.

• Overnight camp: Overnight camps are more immersive, offering continuous programming in a location that’s generally further away from your home.

• Themed camp: Themed camps are a popular summer camp type to offer if you want to focus on a particular subject, group, or skill, like soccer camp, music, or mindfulness . 

14 steps to start your own summer camp

Starting a summer camp requires a lot of preparation. There are several important steps before you can welcome your first group of attendees. 

1. Decide your camp structure and focus

Before you begin any operational work, decide what type of camp you want to run and what its focus will be. This includes answering important questions around the target audience (what age group will your camp cater to?), type (day versus overnight), and what activities you will offer to campers. 

Defining your camp’s length is part of this initial decision-making process too. Overnight camp can be anywhere from one week to several, even spanning the entire summer. Day camps can also be short, lasting a week, or longer, like a month or two. 

2. Research the market

As you would with any business, look into local competitors. This will help you narrow your focus and differentiate you from others. 

For example, if you’re thinking of running a soccer camp, find out if there are competing soccer camps in your area and what you might need to offer to separate your camp from theirs. This could be in the campers you target, the types of programming you offer, or extras like different lodging or bonus activities.

3. Set goals for your first camp

How will you measure the success of your camp? Returning to why you wanted to start a summer camp will help you clarify your goals for it. If your primary focus is community-building, you might set a signup goal. If another focus is expanding your business, you might set a monetary goal.

With the soccer camp example, one of your objectives may be to offer programs for different levels of experience so campers can move up to the next level as the years go on. You might set goals around launching a specific number of programs for your first year and return campers for your second year.

Read our guide to setting business goals

4. Pick your camp’s name and location

Once you’ve decided on what your camp will do, it’s important to determine where it will be and what you’re going to call it. Your location will depend primarily on the type of camp you want to run and your budget. Keep your target attendees and what they’re likely to pay for a spot in mind too.

Choose a camp name that feels fitting for the demographic and programming. Research you conducted for your camp’s focus will be really useful here.

Get help from our free business name generator

5. Consider legal and financial tasks

There will be numerous legal and financial requirements to understand before opening day of the camp. Complying with all regulations is crucial to run things smoothly and safely.

Consider legal obligations like:

• Obtaining necessary permits (e.g., operating on specific land)

• Fire and safety permits

• Childcare licensing and compliance with child protection laws (e.g., background checks on employees) 

Operational and financial tasks might include: 

• Registering your business name, which may differ from your camp name

• Setting up a business bank account

• Understanding which federal and local taxes you need to pay

Note: Squarespace can’t offer legal or financial advice, so consult a professional far in advance to understand any obligations and requirements you need to satisfy.

6. Program activities for your camp

Engaging activities, memorable moments, and exciting new experiences are all important for why someone will choose your camp over another.

When designing and programming activities for your camp, remember your audience. With the soccer camp example, you may want to program activities around soccer drills, physical conditioning, lectures or workshops with professional soccer players and instructors, and field trips to games.

Whatever you decide, try to allow for flexible, free time for attendees to get to know each other, have independent time, and explore some of their own interests. 

7. Determine the staffing you need

It’s more than likely you’ll need staff on-site to help you run your summer camp. A good barometer of how many people you’ll need on staff is how big you intend your camp to be. 

Use a two-week intensive, overnight soccer camp as an example. You’ll need to have staff around the clock, working in shifts as coaches and counselors, depending on your location, you may also need cooks or food vendors and maintenance staff. Each of these roles comes with different required skills, experience levels, and standard pay levels to factor in.

8. Create a budget

A budget is essential for the success of your summer camp. This will help you understand what you need to charge to run the camp and what you can realistically achieve in your first year. Factor in all of the elements of your business to create your budget.

• Rent or leasing payments for your camp’s location

• Wages or salary for employees

• Training costs for staff

• Equipment needed for programming and staff

• Health and safety equipment

• Insurance

• Marketing costs

• Maintenance costs 

• Administrative fees and software

Depending on your budget and cash flow, you may consider seeking financing to cover some of your startup costs.

9. Understand health and safety protocols

Health and safety is probably the most essential step in launching your own summer camp. The attendees become your responsibility, so you need the necessary training and compliance to be able to run your camp at all.

Work with a professional to ensure you’re meeting any requirements or regulations in your location. Some health and safety requirements might include: 

• First-aid and CPR certification

• Food handling certification

• Emergency preparedness plans

• Swimming and waterfront guidelines (if site is near water), including lifeguards

10. Set up pricing and payment

You’ll need to set pricing and a payment plan for your summer camp. Pricing can differ depending on the type of camp you run and typical costs for similar camps. For example, a day camp may have a flat fee per day, and not require a specific commitment. An overnight camp may be more of a package or tiered pricing offering, depending on how long the session is and where.

When you conduct research on competitors, take their pricing models into consideration. Your prices should reflect the quality of the experience you’re offering and net you enough income to cover your costs, pay yourself, and reinvest in the business. 

Consider offering multiple payment options to make your camp more accessible. You can take an initial deposit and charge the balance later or offer a buy now, pay later option like Klarna or AfterPay.

11. Set up an operations plan 

Create systems and processes to keep your camp running smoothly. These operational plans may change over time as you grow, but set a foundation you can work from. Having a clear, recorded plan makes things simpler for you and your staff.

For example, you’ll need a plan for intake. What time will campers arrive? When does kickoff or orientation begin? What are the times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Do you have protocols if someone wants or needs to leave early?

12. Create a website and get a domain

A website with a specific and memorable domain is an essential part of every business, including a summer camp.

When you’re creating your website, make the most important information easy to find. This includes information about your camp, what it is and where, and how long each session runs in the summer. Pricing should be easy to discover, too. 

13. Market your camp

A website is one component you need to market your camp. Once you have that, you can start to look for other channels and opportunities to promote your business.

• Testimonials on your website

• Paid ads on search engines

• Posting to your professional network (especially if the camp is specialized and part of your industry)

• Create a social media account

• Word-of-mouth marketing 

If you’re starting a camp to build on your existing expertise or business, start with the audience you’ve already built. Reach out to past clients, students, or customers and consider offering them an early registration discount to encourage signups.

14. Hire and train staff

The final step in getting your own camp up and running is hiring and training your staff. You’ll need to ensure your staff is qualified with relevant experience . 

Other things to consider include: 

• Camp value alignment: Does your staff exhibit and promote the values of your camp? 

• Certification and experience: Does your staff have the necessary certifications or experience to work at your camp?

• Training: What additional training does your staff need to be fit to work there? This may include emergency practices, code of conduct, or child management skills and strategies.

Remember that there’s no harm in starting small. You could dip your toes into organized programming with a digital meetup one year, then start with a small group camp the next year. Every experience will help you learn and build on the last as you build a sustainable, fulfilling camp experience.