It pains me to write this letter but it will probably be more painful if I don’t. It pains me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I sell insurance and this public service announcement may appear self-serving. Secondly, I am the husband of a director of a large camp who pays a substantial amount of money in rent, insurance and taxes, which again may appear self-serving. Let me be transparent and unequivocal: While I’d love for you to be a client of mine or a parent of a child in my wife’s camp, I’d much prefer your children to have a safe and fun camp experience that’s covered by insurance should the need (chas ve’sholom) arise.
It would pain me not to write this article, because I imagine that since I have some experience and knowledge in this area, if I don’t share it, that makes me responsible in some way. There are many safety and health issues to think about when operating a backyard camp or sending your child to one. I’ll elaborate on a few that come to mind.
If a child gets injured in a backyard, it’s likely a homeowner’s insurance policy will decline such a claim since there is no coverage for operating a business out of a home, let alone one that is responsible for watching a gaggle of children.
Another potential problem arises when backyard camps have a “trip” to a neighbor’s pool, a 7-11, or another backyard camp. The neighbor’s homeowner’s policy will also not cover an accident (chas v’shalom) at the pool. Nor will your automobile policy cover ferrying children around town for camp trips.
Lastly (for the sake of brevity), should a counselor become injured on the job, his/her health insurance could also decline coverage. Since this could be considered a “workplace” accident, it is something worker’s compensation insurance should cover, not regular health insurance.
So now that you are a little more educated about the behind-the-scenes operation of a camp working out of a rented premises with all required insurance, you should also understand why they charge what they do. I recognize there is a significant difference in tuition for different kinds of camps, but what you are saving to send your child to a backyard camp may cost a lot more in the long run.
