A Quick Guide to Terms & Conditions for Camps

A clear-cut, detailed terms and conditions agreement is a crucial part of running your camp on industry best practices. Creating this agreement is highly recommended, and in some cases required, to address common consumer concerns and establish clear, mutually beneficial expectations. Many camps will post their terms on their website and might ask for families to acknowledge them in their enrollment process.

It might feel a little daunting to put your own set of terms and conditions together (or amend your existing one), but we have a few quick tips that will help steer you in the right direction. 

Disclaimer: CampSite cannot and is not offering legal advice; we recommend every camp consult with a legal expert for specific guidance before publishing anything. 

Terms & Conditions Basics

Your terms and conditions should include a few basics, often beginning with the general disclaimer “by using this website you agree to the terms written herein”. Then, in a series of short paragraphs consider addressing:

  • Intellectual property rights
  • Limitation of liability
  • Severability
  • Governing law & jurisdiction
  • Child protection
  • Lost property
  • COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

Every camp will have its own unique set of policies to address, but this is a good place to start! You can search online and find pre-written templates for several of the above issues that you can then customize.

Privacy Policy

Add a privacy policy to your camp’s terms and conditions (or set up a separate policy that you can attach to your terms) to let families know how you’ll use the information they provide to you. 

Will you keep it on file? 

Send them marketing messaging? 

Share their information with affiliated programs? 

Disclose not only how you’ll use the information families share with you but how you’ll protect it, too.

Payments & Cancellations

Include a section that offers information about preferred payments, payment plan options, due-by dates, and refunds. Let families know how you handle cancellations, whether requested by the family or due to circumstances outside of anyone’s control (force majeure). Setting clear expectations about the financial liability for all parties upfront can help prevent disagreements and disputes. 

General Code of Conduct

In addition to your practical business-related policies, let camp families know what commitments you expect them to uphold in order to run a successful program. This can include common camp rules like the use of respectful language, screen-time and device limits, and general behavior expectations. 

Plus, you can inform families about how you expect them to provide enrollment information or submit required updates. You can link this section directly to a full camp handbook if you have one you’d like to make available. 

Extra Templates & Resources

If you get stuck or need a quick helping hand to get your terms and conditions off the ground, several websites offer advice or extensions that can further help you put a basic document together. This can be a useful option if you need to cover your bases while you work on a more detailed T+C for your camp. 

Look into one or more of these resources for inspiration:

WordPress terms + conditions plugin

Wix terms + conditions support article

Squarespace terms + conditions sample messaging

TermsFeed legal agreement templates

Setting your camp up for success starts with building a solid foundation. Taking the time to create an in-depth, informative terms and conditions policy page for your camp families will pay off. It’s also considered a best-practice when it comes to search engine optimization!

Is your camp in need of more than just a terms and conditions agreement? 

Request a free demo of CampSite’s camp management software to get the inside scoop on camp-favored features!