The short answer
Summer camp insurance usually combines liability for injuries to campers, staff and visitors with accident benefits for campers, abuse and molestation cover that standard policies often exclude, and property cover for cabins, dining halls, boats and equipment. Waterfront, ropes courses, trips and bus transport each bring their own questions. Insurers focus on supervision, staff screening and written procedures, so a licensed broker needs to see how the camp keeps children safe day to day.
- Residential camps with cabins, a waterfront and a season of overnight sessions
- Day camps run in parks, schools, churches or community centres
- Specialty camps for sport, arts, science or outdoor skills
- Nonprofit and faith-based camps governed by a volunteer board
- Operators adding canoe trips, a climbing wall or a ropes course
3 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for summer camp insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Camper, staff and visitor liability
Claims that the camp's supervision, facilities or program caused an injury: a camper hurt on the dock, a parent tripping on a path on visiting day. Ask how claims by one camper against another are handled.
Camper accident benefits
Fixed payments toward costs such as dental repair, physiotherapy or a broken wrist, paid without anyone proving fault. Families may have their own plans, so ask how the camp's benefits work alongside them.
Abuse and molestation
Protection for allegations that a child was abused by staff, volunteers or another camper. It is often excluded from general liability and written separately after detailed questions on screening, training, two-adult rules and how concerns are reported.
Waterfront and adventure activities
Swimming, boating, tubing, climbing walls, zip lines and high ropes are rated activity by activity. Insurers commonly ask about lifeguard certifications, equipment inspections and whether outside vendors built or inspect the course.
Transport and out-of-camp trips
Buses to and from the city, vans for outings and canoe trips away from the site. Whether the camp owns the vehicle, hires a charter or relies on staff cars changes which policy responds first.
Cabins, buildings and equipment
Cabins, dining halls, boathouses, canoes, sailboats and craft supplies, often on rural sites far from a fire hall. Seasonal vacancy over the winter can matter too, so tell the broker how the site is checked in the off-season.
Board and management liability
For nonprofit camps, cover for directors facing claims about governance, employment decisions or how donations were used. It sits apart from the liability that responds to camper injuries.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- Session dates, camper numbers per session and the age range of campers
- A list of activities, including waterfront, climbing, ropes, archery, horses and out-trips
- Staff and volunteer counts, with the screening each goes through, such as police and vulnerable sector checks
- Written policies on supervision ratios, buddy systems, cabin coverage and reporting concerns
- How camper health and consent forms are stored, and which staff can see them
- Lifeguard, first aid and activity-instructor certifications held by staff
- Transportation arrangements: owned buses or vans, charters and who drives
- A site plan with buildings, construction, heating and fire protection
- Accreditation reports, inspection records and any incidents or allegations in the past several years
A broker will ask
- How many campers attend each session, and how old are they?
- Is it a day camp, an overnight camp, or both?
- What screening, references and training do counsellors complete before campers arrive?
- How do you make sure no staff member is alone with a camper out of sight of others?
- Who supervises the waterfront, and what certifications do they hold?
- Who designed, built and inspects the ropes course or climbing wall?
- How do campers travel to camp and on trips, and who owns the vehicles?
- Has the camp faced any allegations, serious injuries or accreditation findings?
- Is the site occupied and checked over the winter?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
A lakeside overnight camp adding a high-ropes course
A residential camp that has offered swimming, canoeing and crafts for decades is installing a high-ropes course and zip line built by an outside contractor. The board wants it open in time for the July sessions.
First steps. Gather the contractor's design, installation certificate and insurance, plus the inspection schedule and staff training plan. Ask the broker how the course will be rated, whether the contractor's cover protects the camp, and what records insurers expect to see before opening day.
A city day camp using rented school space
A sports and arts day camp runs eight weeks in a rented school gym and takes campers to a public pool twice a week by charter bus. The school board's rental agreement asks for a liability certificate naming the board.
First steps. Send the rental agreement's insurance clause and the charter company's details to the broker. Ask how the pool trips are covered when the facility is public, whether the bus operator's insurance responds for campers, and how quickly certificates can be issued.
A faith-based camp facing a historical allegation
A small nonprofit camp received a letter about an allegation involving a counsellor from many years ago. The volunteer board does not know which insurer covered the camp at the time or whether abuse cover was included.
First steps. Keep the letter confidential and speak with a lawyer before responding. Search old board minutes and files for past policies, and ask the broker to help trace which insurer was on risk then, how to notify it, and how the current abuse wording would respond.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Abuse and molestation cover
- Insurance for claims alleging that a child was abused while in your care. It is commonly excluded from general liability and added with its own limit and conditions.
- Claims-made
- A policy that responds to claims first reported while it is in force, rather than to events that happened during it. For camps, this matters when allegations surface years later.
- Vulnerable sector check
- A police check for people working with children or other vulnerable people, which can show certain records a standard check does not. How to request one depends on your local police service.
- Vacancy condition
- Policy wording that can limit or remove cover when buildings sit empty for a set period. Seasonal camps can ask the broker how the off-season is treated.
- Activity exclusion
- Wording that removes cover for a named activity, such as zip lining or tubing. Checking for these before adding a new program avoids an unwelcome surprise.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Adding an adventure activity before the insurer has seen how it is built, inspected and staffed.
- Assuming abuse allegations fall under the general liability policy without checking for an exclusion.
- Letting staff drive campers in personal vehicles without asking how the camp is protected.
- Throwing out old policies, which can be the only way to find cover for a claim reported years later.
- Keeping camper health forms where staff without a need to know can read them.
- Forgetting that buildings left empty all winter may face vacancy conditions in the property policy.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles summer camp insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
What insurance does a summer camp need?
Most camps combine general liability for campers, staff and visitors with camper accident benefits and abuse and molestation cover. Property cover for buildings, boats and equipment, auto cover for owned vehicles and directors and officers cover for nonprofit boards are common additions. Rental agreements, accreditation bodies and funders may set their own requirements. A licensed broker reviews the program, the site and those documents to decide which pieces apply.
Why is abuse and molestation cover separate?
Many general liability policies exclude claims alleging abuse, or limit them heavily, because those claims are serious and can be reported many years later. Insurers that do offer it usually ask detailed questions about screening, training, supervision, two-adult rules and reporting procedures before agreeing. The limit and the way claims are triggered vary, so ask the broker how the wording would respond to a claim made long after the summer.
Does the camp's policy cover the waterfront and ropes course?
It can, but insurers rate these activities on their own. Expect questions about lifeguard certifications, swim tests, boating rules, equipment inspection records and who built and inspects any climbing or ropes structure. Some insurers limit certain activities or ask for particular standards to be met. Describe each activity exactly as it runs, and ask the broker which ones are included and on what conditions.
How should a camp handle camper health forms?
Health and consent forms are sensitive personal information, and privacy law in your province may set rules about how they are collected, stored and shared. Keep them with the staff who need them, such as the camp nurse or health centre, and away from general files. Insurers may ask how records are protected, not what they say. Nobody needs to share a camper's health details to start an insurance request.
Are campers covered on buses and out-of-camp trips?
That depends on who owns the vehicle and who is driving. A charter company's own auto insurance usually responds for its buses, camp-owned vans need a commercial auto policy, and staff driving their own cars rely on their personal policies first. Canoe trips and outings away from the site may also need to be listed on the liability policy. Tell the broker how every trip moves campers.
Are day camps and overnight camps insured the same way?
The pieces are similar, but the questions differ. Overnight camps raise cabin supervision, night-time procedures, owned buildings and longer stays, while day camps often rent space and move campers between facilities each day. Day camps may also need certificates for every park, pool or school they use. Describe the camp as it actually operates and the broker can approach insurers that write that kind of program.
General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.