The problem
Holiday camps fill fast, and bookings by message and bank transfer mean spreadsheets, chasing payments and places held for children who never turn up. A coach running 10 camp weeks a year can spend 6 hours a camp week on bookings, and if 3 booked days a week go unpaid at $33£25€30A$48C$47 that is $998£750€893A$1,440C$1,410 a year lost.
What the AI does
ClassForKids is booking software for children's activity clubs. Its UK pricing page lists a Camps Only plan at $160£120€143A$230C$226 a year, pay as you go, for holiday camp providers, with flexible camp booking options, bookings, payments and waitlists in one place, and unlimited users. Its features page lists full and half days, individual days, early drop-off and late pick-up, payment that secures the booking, emergency contact details to hand and photo permissions and consents. Transaction fees are from 2.5% including Stripe; the page says final fees are confirmed by ClassForKids. Parents choose days and pay when they book, and you see each day's register and numbers.
A worked example
A football and multi-sports coach in Leicester runs 10 camp weeks a year with 24 children a day at $33£25€30A$48C$47 a day, about $39,900£30,000€35,700A$57,600C$56,400 a year. They move camp bookings from messages and bank transfers onto ClassForKids' Camps Only plan.
Before
About 6 hours of bookings and chasing per camp week; about 3 unpaid no-show days a week
After
Parents book and pay online; about 1.5 hours per camp week checking registers, and every place paid upfront
What it's worth
About $174£131€156A$252C$246 a month, averaged over the year, against about $97£73€87A$140C$137 a month in costs. That is 45 hours a year of booking admin saved (4.5 hours on each of 10 camp weeks) at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour, $124.69£93.75€111.56A$180C$176.25 a month, plus $49.88£37.50€44.63A$72C$70.50 a month in profit at an assumed 60% margin on $998£750€893A$1,440C$1,410 a year of days now paid upfront. Costs: $160£120€143A$230C$226 a year for the plan ($13£10€12A$19C$19 a month) and transaction fees from 2.5% on $39,900£30,000€35,700A$57,600C$56,400 of bookings, about $998£750€893A$1,440C$1,410 a year ($84£63€75A$121C$118 a month).
How to set it up
- Contact ClassForKids about the Camps Only plan and confirm your transaction fee before you start.
- Set up each camp week with days, half days, early drop-off and late pick-up, prices and capacity.
- Choose which details you collect at booking: parent contacts, emergency contacts, photo consent and any medical needs the coaches must know.
- Put the booking link on your website and send it to families from previous camps who opted in to hear from you.
- Check the register for each day the evening before and brief your coaches on any medical needs.
What goes wrong
- Transaction fees are a percentage of every booking, so on busy summers they cost far more than the $160£120€143A$230C$226 plan. Price your camp days with that in mind.
- Children's medical details are special-category data under UK GDPR. Collect only what coaches need, limit who can see it and check ClassForKids' data terms.
- The 2.5% is an estimate on the pricing page; your actual rate is confirmed by ClassForKids, so get it in writing.
- Your safeguarding policy, staff ratios and DBS checks stay with you; booking software doesn't check them.