Many California public agencies staff summer camps and other recreation activities with seasonal employees, teen workers, coaches, and temporary supervisors.

Below is a short staffing checklist to review before the first day of camp, or before recreation activities commence.

1. Identify Mandated Reporters

Under Penal Code section 11165.7, mandated reporters include an administrator of a public or private day camp, and an administrator or employee of a public or private youth center, youth recreation program, or youth organization. For public agency recreation programs, this generally means camp administrators, recreation program administrators, and employees assigned to youth recreation programs should be treated as mandated reporters and accordingly, they should train covered employees on when and how to report suspected child abuse or neglect and remind them that reporting concerns internally does not replace the employee’s duty to make a mandated report.

2. Complete Background Checks Before Staff Work With Minors

Agencies should determine which employees will supervise or discipline minors, as these employees must undergo a background check under Penal Code section 11105.3. Staff who require clearance should not begin working in youth-facing roles until the clearance has been completed and reviewed.

3. Check Local Camp Rules

Agencies should also confirm whether specific camp roles require additional qualifications before staff begin work. For example, California organized camp rules require programs that are considered an “organized camp” to address staff qualifications, supervision ratios, health supervision, safety procedures, and activity-specific procedures, including for aquatics and other higher-risk activities. Depending on the program this may include:

• Camp Director: training on the camp’s written operating procedures, emergency plan, supervision rules, and incident reporting procedures. For organized camps, the Director is also responsible for verifying certain staff qualifications and records.
• Counselors: emergency procedure training, and first aid/CPR training.
•  Health Supervisor: first aid and CPR certification, and also training on the camp health plan, medication and illness procedures, injury response, parent/guardian notification, and documentation requirements. Organized camp rules require a full-time adult Health Supervisor when campers are present.
•  Lifeguards, Swim Instructors, And Aquatics Staff: required lifeguard, CPR, first aid, AED, and water safety certifications, plus training on pool rules, emergency rescue procedures, supervision ratios, and incident response.
•  Drivers And Field Trip Staff: training on transportation procedures, supervision during loading and unloading, emergency contacts, head counts, release procedures, and accident or incident reporting.
• Coaches, Instructors, And Specialty Activity Staff: verification that they have the skills, certifications, or training needed for the activity they will supervise, especially for higher-risk activities such as aquatics, adventure/challenge activities, horseback riding, or offsite trips.

(17 CCR sections 30704 and 30751)

Public agencies should also check whether their city or county imposes additional camp-specific requirements through local ordinances or health department guidance. For example, Los Angeles County’s Elena Matyas Children’s Camp Safety Ordinance requires children’s camps to verify and document certain staff qualifications before employees or volunteers begin working at camp. This includes required background checks and voluntary disclosures for individuals over age 18 who work or volunteer at the camp, as well as first aid and CPR training for counselors, the Health Supervisor, and the Director. Other counties or cities may have similar rules.  

4. Obtain Proof Of Age For Minor Employees

Many public agencies hire minors to work in summer camps, aquatics programs, youth sports programs, and other seasonal recreation positions. Typically, minors employed in California must obtain a work permit before beginning work. However, both the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the California Department of Education take the position that state and local agencies are exempt from California’s work permit requirement because the child labor statutes do not expressly include public agencies. Public agencies remain subject to the FLSA’s child labor provisions. That means agencies should verify that the minor is old enough to perform the assigned work. California issues Certificates of Age using CDE Form B1-1, Statement of Intent to Employ a Minor and Request for a Work Permit – Certificate of Age, pursuant to Education Code section 49114. In practice, before a minor starts work, the agency should have the minor complete CDE Form B1-1 or otherwise maintain reliable proof of age, and should confirm that the minor’s duties and schedule are appropriate for the position.

5. Train Seasonal And Temporary Staff

For covered employers, seasonal, temporary, or other employees hired to work less than six months must receive harassment prevention training within 30 calendar days after hire or within 100 hours worked, whichever occurs first. Agencies should build required training into pre-season onboarding whenever possible.

6. Prepare Staff For Supervision, Emergencies, And Heat

For outdoor programs, agencies should also train staff on heat illness prevention. Cal/OSHA’s outdoor heat illness prevention standard, 8 CCR section 3395, addresses water, shade, emergency response, high-heat procedures, and training.

Final Check

Before staff report to the summer program, agencies should confirm that required background checks are complete, mandated reporter obligations have been explained, minor employee proof of age is on file, required certifications are verified, local camp rules have been reviewed, and staff understand supervision and emergency procedures.