A week of other people’s children, on a campus you do not own.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage — the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — The host facility will require it named before the dates are confirmed.

Participant accident

Pays the medical costs of someone injured while taking part — a player, a camper, a rider — without anyone having to establish that the organisation was at fault.

Without it — Camper injuries covered without the family having to allege negligence.

Sexual abuse & molestation

Covers allegations of abuse by staff or volunteers. General liability usually excludes it outright, and any organisation working with children, patients or vulnerable adults will be asked to carry it by name.

Without it — Overnight or day, this is the central exposure of any youth programme.

Professional liability

Covers the advice, the drawing, the diagnosis — the work itself, rather than someone getting hurt on your premises.

Without it — Coaching and training is instruction, and instruction can be alleged to have caused an injury.

Commercial auto

Vehicles the business owns and the people who drive them for work.

Without it — Transporting campers, whether in hired vehicles or staff cars.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Seasonal coaches and counsellors are employees for the weeks they work.

Employment practices liability

Wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment claims brought by your own employees. General liability specifically excludes these.

Without it — Short-season hiring at volume produces employment claims out of proportion to its length.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — Universities and school districts hosting camps specify limits above primary.

The university hosting us has insurance. Do we need our own?

Yes, and their agreement will say so. The facility covers the facility; you are running the programme, employing the staff and supervising the children, and their contract will require you to insure that and to name them. Read the limits they specify before you price the camp — university and school district requirements are frequently higher than a camp of that size expects.

What do underwriters ask about most?

Supervision and screening, ahead of the sport itself. Background checks on every adult, stated staff-to-camper ratios, a two-adult rule, written policies on transport, bathrooms and overnight accommodation, and a named person responsible. These are what price abuse and molestation cover, they are the cheapest thing on the whole programme to get right, and their absence is answered as an answer.

Does it change if the camp is residential?

Materially. Overnight adds accommodation, night supervision, food service, and a longer period of care, and it moves the abuse and molestation underwriting into a stricter tier. Some markets that write day camps will not write residential at all. Declare it plainly rather than describing an overnight camp as a longer day camp.