Quick summary

Registration comes first

A stand-alone holiday camp is generally registered as a school-age childcare service rather than under the early years regulations that apply to preschool rooms. Where a camp runs as a temporary, short-window service, registration typically needs to be completed well in advance of the first day, leaving this until close to the camp start date is one of the more common ways a planned camp gets delayed. Confirm the exact registration category and lead time that applies to your specific camp directly with Tusla, since requirements can vary by how the camp is structured.

Ratios differ from early years rooms

School-age childcare services, which is the category holiday camps generally fall under, typically apply a different ratio to the early years ratios covered elsewhere in this Knowledge Centre. Before finalising camp staffing numbers, confirm the current school-age ratio and any activity-specific variations directly with Tusla, since a camp involving off-site trips or water-based activities may carry additional supervision expectations beyond the baseline ratio.

Staffing a short, intense window

Camps often mean bringing in short-term or seasonal staff on top of a service's regular team, which puts particular pressure on Garda vetting lead times, there's much less margin to absorb a late vetting result when a camp only runs for a fixed week or two. Starting recruitment and vetting for camp staff well ahead of the camp dates, rather than treating it as an extension of day-to-day staffing, avoids a last-minute scramble.

Camps frequently mix children from a wider age range than a typical room, and often include children who aren't otherwise enrolled with the service. Building this into planning, name lists, emergency contacts, medical information, all collected properly in advance, matters just as much for a one-week camp as for a full-year enrolment.

Practical checklist

  1. Check the correct registration category and lead time for your camp with Tusla well ahead of the planned dates.
  2. Verify the current school-age ratio and any activity-specific supervision requirements.
  3. Start staff recruitment and Garda vetting early, accounting for seasonal or short-term hires.
  4. Collect complete enrolment and medical information for every camp attendee, including non-regular families.

How Tot Tracker helps

Tot Tracker's holiday camp booking shows capacity against your registered ratios in real time, and digital enrolment forms make it straightforward to collect complete information for camp attendees who aren't otherwise enrolled with the service.

Frequently asked questions

A stand-alone holiday camp is usually registered as a school-age childcare service. If it operates as a temporary service, registration needs to be completed well in advance of the camp starting. Confirm the exact requirements and lead time for your specific setup directly with Tusla.
School-age childcare services, the category holiday camps usually fall under, typically require at least one adult for every 12 school-age children. Check the current figure and any activity-specific variations with Tusla before finalising staffing.
Yes, anyone working directly with children at a camp, including students on placement, needs Garda vetting completed through the appropriate channel before they start.
Camps often mix age groups and bring in short-term or seasonal staff, so ratio planning and vetting lead times need particular attention, there's less margin for a late vetting result or an unexpected staff shortfall when a camp only runs for a fixed, short window.