2024 Summer Youth Camp Season

What are the qualifications for a camp license?
To qualify as a summer youth camp under New Jersey Youth Camp Standards, a program must meet the following criteria. Camps are subject to licensure requirements only if it meets ALL of the following criteria:

• Accommodate five or more children that are under 18 years of age. Youth camp licenses are only applicable to children under 18 years of age;

• Operate for a period or portion of at least two days or more during the same week; and

• Include at least one high-risk activity during the operation period. An activity is considered high-risk if it exposes a camper to a serious injury because of the inherent nature of the activity and always requires a high degree of adult supervision.

How do I apply for a camp license?
Please visit the NJ Department of Health website to apply for a 2024 Youth Camp License.
 

What rules and regulations do we need to follow so that we are exempt from licensing?              
Camps that do not meet the requirements of licensure do not need to submit an application. Please visit the NJ Department of Health website for more details about the requirements of licensure.
 

What programs are not subjected to youth camps regulations?
The following programs are not subject to licensure by the youth camp safety project:

• Licensed child care centers are exempt from the regulation. Licensed child care centers, in some cases, may choose to dual license.  Dual licensees are centers that apply and are licensed by both the Department of Children & Families – Office of Childcare Licensing (OOL) and the Department of Health- Youth Camp Safety Project. OOL child care licensees are required by OOL to register as a youth camp if the facility operates an on-site swimming pool.

• Organized school recreational sports teams are exempt from the regulation. This includes all school sports, or any local or regional sports teams such as cheerleading, travel soccer, indoor soccer, travel basketball, etc. 

How to I check the status of my camp license?
You can search for your camp in the online listing of current active permits or email [email protected].
 

Do we need to schedule an inspection before camp starts?
Preoperational inspections must be scheduled with the local health department, which is located within the jurisdiction of where your camp will be located. You should schedule this for at least three weeks before you host any campers for the season. The operational inspection is conducted by the NJ Department of Health Youth Camp Safety Project and is not a scheduled inspection.
 

What is a high-risk activity?
A high-risk activity is one in which a participant has an increased risk of injury simply by performing the activity. If your campers will be playing any sport, this could constitute a high-risk activity. Factors a camp would want to consider when evaluating is if an activity should be considered high risk are the age level of participants, skill level of participants and probability or chance that a participant would be injured due to participating in said activity.

For summer youth camps that are not participating in the NJ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), do staff just need background checks and not fingerprints?
Currently, all camps licensed by the youth camp safety project pursuant N.J.A.C. 8:25 are required to conduct background name checks for staff 18+ and sex offender registry checks annually for all staff 16+. Camps that participate in CCAP through Department of Human Services have additional requirements as conditions of participation in the assistance program like FBI fingerprint and CARI checks. 

Are 15- and 16-year-old counselors required to receive a background check?    
The youth camp safety rule N.J.A.C. 8:25 requires all staff 18+ to receive a background check and all staff 16 and older to receive a sex offender registry check. If you are participating in the NJ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) there are additional requirements including FBI fingerprint and CARI checks.
 
Dual camps should have been fingerprinted under their NJ Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Licensing (OOL) license or DOH camp certificate license.
 
For summer youth camps that operate under a NJ DOH Youth Camp certificate separately from the DCF OOL licensed child care center, staff working at the camp MUST be fingerprinted using the IdentoGO form specifically designated for the camp.
 

Will returning camp counselors need to be re-fingerprinted this summer?          
Camp staff who are 18 years and older who are employed each summer do not have to be re-fingerprinted. The cleared CHRI fingerprint results are valid for a period of five years from the date of fingerprinting. If there was a gap in employment of one summer, then the staff person must be re-fingerprinted using the youth camp's IdentoGO form. Please note that volunteers must be fingerprinted each summer.
 

Can an alternative background checking application be used instead of IndentoGO?      
Any summer youth camp participating in NJ Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) must comply with Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) background check requirements. The IdentoGO fingerprint form must be used to complete the CHRI background check as it completes all the required checks.
 

Can I use my current child care IdentoGO account to get the camp staff fingerprinted or will the camp receive a new IdentoGO account?             
Summer youth camps with a DOH Youth Camp Certificate that operate separately from licensed child care centers must use the IdentoGO fingerprint form found on the Youth Camp's NJCCIS Provider page.
 

Can you please provide information about the potential future fingerprinting requirements for seasonal day camp staff?
As mentioned during the recording, the proposed rule change is currently in the 90-day comment period.  Our project will have and communicate the plans for implementation as soon as the rule has cleared that process.  We'll be also holding a Camp Operator training at the end of April.  Please visit our website for exact date and time.

What Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) trainings will new and returning staff need to complete?
New Staff

• Health, Safety, and Child Growth and Development and Mandated Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting: Basic Requirements for Licensing (10-hour module – overview of the required CCDBG health and safety topics)

• Pediatric First Aid and Pediatric CPR Training

 
Existing Staff
Starting with the 2024 season all returning staff members must complete 4 hours of annual in-service training, consisting of:
Mandatory Health, Safety, and Child Growth and Development Refresher training – 2 hours
and
Pre-Service Orientation Training offered by the Camp Director – 2 hours
or  
A combination of Professional Development Trainings through the NJ Workforce Registry equivalent to 2 hours

Does the camp director have to remain onsite at all times?
The camp director is not required by regulation to be onsite at all times. However, a health director is required to be onsite at all times. It is advisable to have multiple backups for the health director role. Those assigned that role should be knowledgeable about the health policies and procedures implemented at your camp site.
 

Can the camp director and the health director be the same person?
For camps serving 50 or less kids, the camp director and health director can be the same person. For camps serving 51+ campers, the camp must have a separate camp director and a health director. Please note that even though the camp director does not have to be onsite at all times, a health director is required onsite at all times.

2024 Summer Youth Camp Webinar PDF | Video 

If you have a question that was not covered in the FAQ, please contact:
 
Department of Health, Youth Camps and Public Recreation
Website | Email

Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development, Office of Child Care
Website | Email
1-609-588-7500 | 1-800-332-9227

Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing
Website | Email
1-609-248-3458 | 1-877-667-9845
 
Department of Human Services, Office of Program Integrity & Accountability
Employment Controls and Compliance Unit
System Helpdesk: [email protected] | General questions: [email protected]