By the BackPR team · Published November 12, 2026
1. Decide the structure before you open any software
Write down every session you will sell: each week or session, its dates, the ages or grades it takes, its capacity and its price. Decide whether families can pick single weeks or must buy a block, and whether extended care before and after camp is sold separately.
Decide your discounts now, too: early-bird pricing and its end date, sibling discounts, multi-week discounts and any scholarship or sliding-scale prices. Changing a discount after registration opens is the most common source of refunds and confused families.
2. Write the forms once, and only ask what you will use
A camp registration usually needs the child's details, two guardians, emergency contacts, authorized pickup, medical and allergy information, a waiver and photo permission. Our registration form checklist lists every field.
Use conditional questions so families only see what applies: a medication question opens the medication details, an overnight session opens the bunkmate request. Each question you remove makes the form faster on a phone.
3. Choose how families pay
Most camps take either full payment or a deposit with installments. A deposit holds the spot and the rest is charged automatically on set dates, so you don't chase payments in June. Our payment plan guide covers how to pick the dates.
Decide who pays card processing: your camp, or families as a clearly labeled convenience fee. See card fees: absorb or pass on?.
4. Plan for full weeks
Popular weeks fill first. Turn on an automatic waitlist for every session so families can still sign up, and decide how long a family has to accept a spot when one opens. If you expect a rush, consider priority registration for returning families or a lottery. See how to run a fair waitlist.
5. Test it like a parent
- Register two children for different weeks on a phone, with a sibling discount and a deposit.
- Check the confirmation email and the payment schedule the family sees.
- Cancel one week and check the refund or credit follows your policy.
- Ask a staff member who didn't build it to register a test family.
6. Open registration and tell families
Put the registration link on your website, in your newsletter and on social media on the same day, with the date early-bird pricing ends. Send returning families the link first if you offer them priority.
After opening, look at which weeks fill and which don't. A slow week may need a different theme, time or price next year.
How BackPR helps
BackPR includes week-by-week camp selection, multi-child checkout, deposits and installment plans with autopay, e-signed waivers, medical forms, automatic waitlists, lotteries and pickup verification. See online camp registration.
Want camp registration done for you? Create your organization: free forever if you join by 31 January 2027, and always free for verified nonprofits. Or book a demo first.
Questions people ask
When should a summer camp open registration?
Many camps open in winter, after setting prices in the fall. Pick a date that leaves time to test, and publish it early so families plan around it. Our camp planning checklist has a month-by-month timeline.
Do I need a website to take registrations online?
No. A registration platform can give you public program pages and a link to share. If you have a website, an embed shows your programs there.