Every fee on the page.
Cancel within 60 days of your first charge, and your money comes back automatically.
How the guarantee works →Mississippi camp licensing requirements.
Who licenses day camps and overnight camps in Mississippi, under which rules, and who is exempt. Last checked November 2, 2026.
Get startedor book a demo
Day camps and overnight camps in Mississippi
| Camp type | What the state asks | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Day camps | Depends on the program | Mississippi treats a summer day camp serving children ages 5 to 12 as a child care facility under its child care licensing rules.Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Overnight camps | State license | A youth camp needs a license or permit from the Mississippi State Department of Health.Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
Staff-to-camper ratios in Mississippi
One staff member to the number of campers shown, as the rule sets it.
| Applies to | Group | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight camps | Residential and group camps, all campers | 1:10Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Overnight camps | Special needs campers | 1:5Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Overnight camps | Swimming activities, lifeguard-certified counselors to campers in the water | 1:25Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Day camps | Children 5 through 9 years (licensed summer day camps) | 1:20Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
| Day camps | Children 10 through 12 years (licensed summer day camps) | 1:25Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. |
Exemptions
- Organized programs that run three weeks or less a year, such as vacation Bible schools and scout day camps, are exempt from child care licensing.Source: How to Get a Child Care License, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- A youth camp is one on a permanent campsite running four or more straight 24-hour periods for 20 or more children ages 6 to 18.Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Athletic camps and hunting and fishing camps are not youth camps under the regulations.Source: Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth Camps, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Child care licensing applies to care of six or more unrelated children younger than 13.Source: How to Get a Child Care License, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Programs of accredited elementary and secondary school systems are exempt from child care licensing.Source: How to Get a Child Care License, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Nationally affiliated membership groups such as the YMCA or Boys and Girls Clubs that charge only a nominal yearly fee are exempt.Source: How to Get a Child Care License, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Facilities open no more than two days a week that give caregivers respite or temporary care during other activities are exempt.Source: How to Get a Child Care License, Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
Official rules
- Title 15, Part 11, Subpart 55, Chapter 4 (Mississippi Administrative Code)
Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth CampsMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. - Title 15, Part 11, Subpart 55, Chapter 1, Subchapter 22 (Mississippi Administrative Code)
School Age Care & Summer Day CampMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. - Miss. Code Ann. § 43-20-5(a)
Mississippi Child Care Licensing Law, exemptionsMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026. - Miss. Code Ann. § 75-74-9
Mississippi Youth Camp Safety and Health Law (rulemaking authority cited by the youth camp regulations)Mississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
Sources
Every source is an official government page.
- Regulations Governing Licensure of Youth CampsMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care FacilitiesMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
- How to Get a Child Care LicenseMississippi State Department of Health. Checked November 2, 2026.
About this page
We read each source above on an official government site on November 2, 2026. Each fact links to the page it came from.
Rules change, and local rules can add to them. Confirm with the agency before you open or change a program.
This page is a summary of public rules. It is not legal advice, and Bloomily does not file license applications.
Camp licensing in other states
- Alabama
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Arizona
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Arkansas
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- California
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state camp rules.
- Colorado
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Connecticut
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Delaware
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Florida
Day camps: no state license. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Georgia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Idaho
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Illinois
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Indiana
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state camp rules.
- Kentucky
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Louisiana
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Maine
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Maryland
Day camps: state certificate. Overnight camps: state certificate.
- Massachusetts
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Michigan
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Missouri
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Montana
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Nebraska
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: no state license.
- Nevada
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- New Hampshire
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- New Jersey
Day camps: state certificate. Overnight camps: state certificate.
- New York
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- North Dakota
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Ohio
Day camps: state registration. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Oregon
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- South Carolina
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- South Dakota
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: depends on the program.
- Tennessee
Day camps: state permit. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Texas
Day camps: state license. Overnight camps: state license.
- Vermont
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
- Virginia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Washington
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state registration.
- West Virginia
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state permit.
- Wisconsin
Day camps: depends on the program. Overnight camps: state license.
Running the camp itself
- See camp registration software
Online forms, deposits, waitlists and check-in for day camps and summer camps.
Check us before you commit.
Three things directors ask before they start, answered where you can read them.
Help whenever you need it.
AI help is built in, plus full support from our team. Ask a question, and it answers from your own records.
How AI help works →Children’s data deserves grown-up care.
Encrypted on the way and at rest. Each program’s records are walled off. We never hold card numbers.
Trust and security →Running a camp in Mississippi? Put forms, deposits, waitlists and check-in on Bloomily.
Get startedor book a demo
One flat price per camp, never per child. $199 a month billed yearly ($2,388), or $249 month to month. Free for home daycares up to 18 children. Every fee is on the pricing page.
Sign up today and set up in an afternoon.
Run more than one kind of program? Talk to us.