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Three day "camp" for kids?

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  • #1

    Three day "camp" for kids?

    Hello,

    I've had this idea for a while. I'm wondering if you think it will work and if there are any requirements I may not be aware of.

    I'd like to hold a three day "camp" for kids. Maybe computer camp or photography. Kids 8-12, for about 3 hours per day. I'd like to charge a fee for this and hold it in my basement.

    First, can I do this? Is it legal? Do I need a permit or anything like that? I'm hoping that parents from town would be interested and willing to pay for thieir child to pick up some new skills. But, I'm not a licensed teacher or small business owner so I don't know if there are issues involved.

    Looking for any advice/comments.
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  • #2
    Do you have a pool of parents who already trust you with their children and have reason to believe that you have special talent for teaching them? Do you know exactly what it is you'd want to teach? Are there enough kids who need a given level, speed, and depth of instruction to make up a class? Is a class 2-3 kids? Or is it 8-20 kids?
    "There is some ontological doubt as to whether it may even be possible in principle to nail down these things in the universe we're given to study." --text msg from my kid

    "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." --Frederick Douglass

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    • #3
      I'm looking for 6-8 kids. I'm hoping that a mix of people we know and some we don't know would sign up for the camp. Some parents in town know my background and that I am knowledgable in the subject areas I want to cover. But I know full well that just being knowledgeable doesn't make a good teacher.

      I've coached kids soccer for years and I taught two courses at a vo-tech school a few years back. They wanted me back but I moved out of the area.

      I'm thinking $100-$150 per child for the 9 hours and three lunches. Our local camera store charges $45 for a two hour intro to photography course for adults. The instructor is qualified and did a fine job but my wife took this course and it probably left her more confused than before she started.

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      • #4
        A few thoughts:

        If you're working with kids, I think you'd want to get yourself registered in your jurisdiction (fingerprinted, etc) so that parents feel as though they can trust you. I know it's a requirement in some jurisdictions.

        After school programs in my area (high cost of living area) where kids are picked up from school and watched from when school gets out to 6:30pm run about $100 per week for the age group you are looking at. We have martial arts places (that pick the kids up in a limo), computer class places and general daycare type places. I think it may be difficult for you to charge $100 to $150 for three days/ week, although I don't know where you live.

        Just wanted to add my 2 cents.

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        • #5
          The price you can charge really depends on your clientele and your subject matter. I used to get paid $100 for 3 hours of tutoring. I picked the kids up from school and tutored 2 kids. I know my boss (the tutor coordinator) was charging them much more, but she always based the payment on how much the parents could afford. The parents she worked with didn't mind because the student went to schools with very mixed populations. The wealthy parents usually thought of it as a good deed.

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          • #6
            Alarm bells are going off in my head as I read this. If you are going to do this to make money, then you WILL have a small business whether you choose to call it that or not.

            I will take care of my family & friends children, pets, and property for free. I wouldn't do it for pay for ANYONE unless I made sure my backside was covered. I won't risk a lawsuit.

            I'm not saying don't do it.
            My advice is to either approach it as a full-fledged business, or forget about it.

            Definitely look in to the laws in your city, county, and state. Find out if you need a permit or a license. Find out if there are limits on the number of children you can have. Look in to liability insurance ... what if one of the kids falls down the stairs to the basement, or one kid hits another over the head with a keyboard? Look in to what sorts of releases you need to have the parents sign ... if a child gets sick or injured, how will you as a non-guardian be able to obtain proper medical care for them? Who will your backup caregiver be ... if you have to rush one kid to the hospital for stitches, who will step in to watch the other kids? Will you need to make modifications to your home to make it safe? Are there ADA laws that would require that the "school" be accessible to all, and how will you do that in a basement if a child is in a wheelchair?

            I am the last person to wish to crush someone's entrepreneurial spirit, but as a former small business owner myself and the wife of a business owner, I am just saying please proceed with caution.

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            • #7
              Where I am from, you can do this sort of one-time or short-term "business" without a permit. But as soon as you make this into something like a regular "gig" or something more formal, you'll need to get one.

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              • #8
                As far as I know, it depends on the size of the camp. If the workshop you are thinking of is small, it's probable that you will not need a lot of papers for it

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