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With Memorial Day marking the start of summer, children’s summer camps across Texas are scrambling to comply with a sweeping series of new state regulations that were introduced in the wake of last year’s July 4 flooding tragedy that killed 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors and more than 100 others. In North Texas, though, dozens of day camps may be bowing out of the new guidelines completely.
At least 12 day camps in North Texas have chosen not to renew their licenses with the state, data from the Texas Department of State Health Services show, and another dozen have been dropped from the state’s roster of camps. Some of those camps may have scaled back operations so that registration with the state is not necessary, but industry leaders have warned for months that inevitably, the new rules would result in some camps closing for good.
Camps that meet the state’s definition of a “youth camp” are required to register with Texas. The guidelines apply to childcare that operates only during school breaks, for four or more consecutive days a week, for four or more consecutive hours. If the camp offers more than one of the following activities: waterfront access, archery, horseback riding, ropes courses or riflery, it is required to obtain a DSHS license.
“There are camps that don’t meet the youth camp definition or have reduced the number of specialized activities they have so that they don’t meet that definition anymore,” Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the department, told the Observer. “We know that there are several [camps] that have done that, so they’re not applying for a renewal.”
According to Anton, the 12 DFW camps that appear on the state’s roster as “no application” are likely letting last year’s registration expire and will eventually be removed from the list. The 12 area camps that already disappeared from the roster between December and May likely also allowed their state registrations to go unrenewed.
Some camp directors have argued that regulations passed last fall under the Youth Camper Act and the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act failed to carve out exceptions for urban-based day camps, which typically operate differently than the Hill Country sleepaway experiences. That may be forcing some to rethink programming so they no longer fall under the state’s jurisdiction.
For instance, the law introduced a requirement that camp operators develop extensive emergency preparedness plans that address every possibility, from a natural disaster to an epidemic. The plans must be updated and approved by the state annually, and counselors must be trained on the plans.
The new regulations also hiked up licensing fees to help pay for the increased inspections now required by the state. While small day camps used to pay a $50 to $100 annual renewal fee for their state license, they may now face up to $3,500 per camp location per summer. Several of the DFW-based camps letting their license with the state expire this summer, like the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, operate in multiple locations and would be required to pay licensing fees for each site.
Camps that operate for low-income families are especially likely to feel the sting of the price increase.
“If families can’t manage the $225 [camp tuition], we tell them to come anyway, we’ll figure it out. We do everything we can to keep the camp experience accessible to all these kids,” Gary Sirkel, the executive director of Lake Lavon Camp & Conference Center in Princeton, told the Observer last year. “So I don’t want to just knee-jerk say, OK, we’ll just pass all this cost on to them. Because that goes against what we’re trying to do.”
At least one standard has already been rolled back for the summer after it threatened to shutter dozens of camps across the state. Earlier this month, the Department of State Health Services announced it would not enforce a law that required camps to install fiber-optic internet, although they will be required to maintain at least two means of accessing broadband internet. Lawmakers said the requirement was to ensure camps could receive emergency warnings, but in April, 19 camps filed a lawsuit arguing that the strict requirement would force them to close.
An agreement between the DSHS and summer camps prevents the requirement from taking effect until March 2027.
