Is the guide really free?

Yes. Sign in with Google or LinkedIn and the PDF opens right away. Signing in doesn’t set up an organization, start a trial, or charge anything.

Are camps legally required to background-check staff?

It depends on your state, and sometimes on your kind of camp. New York requires an annual registry check through a state agency; Texas an annual criminal and registry check on every adult; Ohio a state repository check on a four- or five-year cycle; Pennsylvania has different rules depending on pay and age. The guide walks through how to find yours, and what the FCRA requires of every camp that screens.

Does ACA accreditation require staff background checks?

Yes. Staff screening is among the American Camp Association’s mandatory standards — AD.25 to AD.27 in the November 2025 edition, including annual screening for all staff. The full standards are in ACA’s Accreditation Process Guide; confirm exact requirements there. VolunteerBadge is not affiliated with the American Camp Association.

Does a national background check replace my state’s required checks?

No. When your state names a specific check — a state police repository search, a registry submission to a state agency, FBI fingerprints — that check is the requirement. A national check with identity verification complements it by reaching records from other states.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general education. Camp screening requirements vary by state and camp type, and by what your insurer and accreditor require — confirm yours with your state’s camp regulator and qualified counsel.

Free guide · 2026 edition · For camp directors & owners

Cleared for Camp

A staff screening and child-safety playbook for camp directors

What your state and your accreditor actually expect, what a real background check covers, and how to clear a whole seasonal staff before opening day.

20 pages, written for camp directors and owners
12 chapters and a season-ready screening calendar
A policy checklist and a parent letter you can copy
Cited requirements from New York, Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania

Who this guide is for

Camp directors, owners, program managers and the year-round staff who hire a summer’s worth of counselors in a few short months. Whether you run a two-week day camp at a church, a parks-and-recreation program, or a resident camp with a waterfront and a hundred cabins — if your staff care for other people’s children away from home, this guide is written for you.

93%

of people who sexually assaulted a juvenile were known to the child — family or acquaintances. Only 7% were strangers.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

key components of preventing child sexual abuse in youth-serving organizations. Screening is only one of them.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

for a full, identity-verified background check on a counselor, volunteer or year-round staff member.

VolunteerBadge pricing

From the executive summary

Six things every camp director should know

1
Camp has the highest-access profile most children ever experience outside home.
Overnight care, cabins, changing areas, the waterfront and trips — often for a week or more, away from parents.
2
Your state sets the baseline, and states differ enormously.
New York requires a registry check through a state agency every year; Texas an annual criminal and registry check on every adult; Ohio a state repository check on a four- or five-year cycle; Pennsylvania four different rules depending on pay and age.
3
The FCRA governs how you screen — paid staff and volunteers alike.
A standalone disclosure, written authorization, and adverse-action notices before you turn anyone away because of a report.
4
Screen before contact, every season.
A clearance is a snapshot. Returning staff are re-screened, and nobody is alone with campers until they’ve cleared.
5
A background check is one layer, not the whole plan.
No one-on-one, supervised cabins and changing areas, rules for electronic contact, trained staff and a clear reporting path do the rest.
6
Plan the season backward from opening day.
Checks, and the waiting periods the law requires when a check isn’t clean, take days. Build them into the hiring calendar instead of discovering them in June.

What's inside

01
The short version
The whole case on one page — read it before your next hiring season.
02
Camp is a trust business
What makes camp different: round-the-clock care, near-peer counselors, and time away from home.
03
The seasonal hiring crunch
Compressed timelines, returning staff, remote hiring and late additions — and what helps.
04
What the law requires — and why your state is the answer
Four states, four different answers, and what the FCRA asks of every camp.
05
ACA accreditation and screening
What accreditation expects of your screening, and how to show it at your visit.
06
What a real background check covers
The five components to insist on — and what a national check is not.
07
Who at camp should be screened
Counselors, CITs, specialists, drivers, kitchen staff, volunteers and international staff.
08
Screening is the foundation, not the house
No one-on-one, cabins and changing areas, electronic contact, training and reporting.
09
When a check isn’t clean
A fair review that still fits a hiring season, and the adverse-action steps the law requires.
10
A season-ready screening calendar
From winter planning to staff week — plus honest answers to the hard questions.
11
Paying for it, and telling camp families
What it costs for 40, 100 or 200 staff, and how to make screening part of your promise.
12
Day, overnight, faith-based and specialty camps
What changes for your kind of camp.
A
Appendix A: Camp safeguarding policy checklist
Draft or audit your written policy before staff week.
B
Appendix B: Letter to camp families
How we screen our staff — ready for your website or handbook.
C
Appendix C: Free tools, further reading and sources
Camp workbooks, state requirements, free training and every citation.

Get the free guide

Questions

Is the guide really free?: Yes. Sign in with Google or LinkedIn and the PDF opens right away. Signing in doesn’t set up an organization, start a trial, or charge anything.
Are camps legally required to background-check staff?: It depends on your state, and sometimes on your kind of camp. New York requires an annual registry check through a state agency; Texas an annual criminal and registry check on every adult; Ohio a state repository check on a four- or five-year cycle; Pennsylvania has different rules depending on pay and age. The guide walks through how to find yours, and what the FCRA requires of every camp that screens.
Does ACA accreditation require staff background checks?: Yes. Staff screening is among the American Camp Association’s mandatory standards — AD.25 to AD.27 in the November 2025 edition, including annual screening for all staff. The full standards are in ACA’s Accreditation Process Guide; confirm exact requirements there. VolunteerBadge is not affiliated with the American Camp Association.
Does a national background check replace my state’s required checks?: No. When your state names a specific check — a state police repository search, a registry submission to a state agency, FBI fingerprints — that check is the requirement. A national check with identity verification complements it by reaching records from other states.
Is this legal advice?: No. It is general education. Camp screening requirements vary by state and camp type, and by what your insurer and accreditor require — confirm yours with your state’s camp regulator and qualified counsel.

Keep going

VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice.