Summer Camp Safety Protocols: 3 Hard Lessons (Episode 34)

Episode 34 · August 10, 2026 · Solo episode

Summer camp safety protocols work when they don't depend on one great instructor remembering everything. Build three: a forcing function for day-one preparation, attendance that prompts the instructor before start time and alerts someone when it isn't done, and a rule that no new instructor starts solo. Then write every expectation down. The system carries the first-day chaos so kids stay safe.

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Every year I think I'm done with hard lessons from summer camp, and every year they keep coming. This summer I spent first days in the room with new instructors. What I saw is the subject of "3 Hard Lessons From Summer Camp: Why Foolproof Protocols (Not Great Instructors) Keep Kids Safe." We can't build a business on unicorn instructors. The protocols have to do the carrying.

One note before the details. I'm sharing how we run Journey to STEAM. Camp rules differ by state and by partner, so check yours. This isn't legal advice.

What makes a camp safety protocol foolproof?

It still works when the person following it is new, distracted or overconfident, on the loudest day of the summer. The test I use comes from my years leading schools. Teachers take attendance every day, and on a chaotic day somebody still forgets. So the front office calls the classroom. That call is a forcing function. It doesn't rely on anyone's memory.

Experience doesn't fix this. Experienced people glance at the plan and assume it looks like the last place they taught. Thirty years in a classroom, and you're still new to this group, this curriculum and this site.

How do I make sure instructors are prepared before day one?

Set a deadline: by the end of the business day before a program starts, every question is answered and every material is where it belongs. Questions at midnight and tech problems five minutes before kids walk in mean the process failed, and the process is mine to fix.

Two changes we made:

• A double inventory. Our materials coordinator counts the kit. Then the instructor counts the same kit, in front of us. It's a second check, and it's the moment they ask what each item is for.
• Proof of lesson review. Saying "review your lessons" in training isn't enough, and a box that only proves someone scrolled to the bottom isn't either. Have them walk you through day one out loud.

How do I make sure attendance gets taken at camp?

Put a reminder in front of it and an alert behind it. Most of us rely on the instructor remembering, on the day with the most first-day energy in the room. Here's the protocol we run.

1. The roster is in the instructor's hands before the doors open.
2. The instructor gets a reminder 10 to 15 minutes before start time.
3. Every child is checked in on arrival, before the adult who brought them leaves.
4. If attendance isn't in by start time, an alert goes out and someone follows up. That's our version of the front office call.
5. A child who isn't on the roster gets sorted out while the adult is still standing there. That's why check-in happens before families leave.
6. Pickup information, including who a child may not be released to, is on the roster from minute one.

Step five matters more than it used to. Don't count on a child to know a parent's phone number or a home address. Many upper elementary kids don't. The information has to live in your system. Your form has to ask for it too, and the registration form checklist covers what to collect.

The same thinking applies to payments. A family whose payment failed may believe they're fully registered. Find out right away, before the first morning. On enrops, every paid registration lands on the roster by itself. Authorized pickup is something we set up with our team today.

Should a new instructor ever start alone?

No. That's been our policy from the beginning, and this summer confirmed it again. An interview can't show you day one. Someone can interview beautifully and still need real support with setup, tech and materials when kids are walking in.

Best case, you watch for an hour, say "you've got this" and leave. Worst case, you're glad you were standing there. Either way you had eyes on the room. Make the paired first day a written policy so it survives a short-handed week. And have your bench ready with a sub plan that holds.

How do I set expectations instructors will follow?

Make the implied explicit. I catch myself thinking they should know how to greet a family, how to talk to a parent at pickup, how to hold a room. Should they? Did I ever say it?

Unstated standards turn into resentment later, on both sides. So write them down, and show them. Put new team members next to your strongest instructor early, so they see what the standard looks like in a real room.

Should I run camps in August?

Look at your own demand first. In my programs, July is the biggest camp month, then June, and August is the softest because so many families travel right before school starts. I used to chase that soft demand.

This summer I took a real vacation and paid attention to where things still ran through me. My lesson: while kids are in your programs, there's only so far you can step away. So next summer we're taking August off from program delivery. I see it as an operating policy. If you want to be in business in five years, plan the break the way you plan the season. For planning the whole year, see my after-school and summer camp calendar.

Who should listen: camp and after-school owners with more than one instructor, and anyone who felt the first week of summer in their chest this year.

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Frequently asked questions

Do day camps need a license?

It depends on your state, and sometimes your county or city. The American Camp Association keeps a state-by-state list of camp regulations (acacamps.org/resources/state-laws-regulations, checked September 17, 2026). Start there, then call the agency it names.

What should an instructor have in hand on day one?

The roster, pickup permissions, any allergy or medical notes families shared, the site contact and a phone number for someone on your team who will answer.

Is an experienced teacher safe to start solo?

Pair them anyway. Experience is real, and your program, curriculum and site are still new to them.

When should I finish getting ready for camp?

For checkout, before registration opens. The camp registration opening checklist covers that. For instructors and materials, the business day before each program starts.

Create your first registration. Free for businesses. Live in under 5 minutes. Or click through a sample registration first.

Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is the founder of enrops and host of The Youth Enrichment Leader, presented by enrops.