Childcare & youth programs
Books and taxes for specialty camps.
Single-day and week-long sessions, rented gym or school space by the day, robotics kits and art supplies bought per program, and instructors paid per session, not per hour. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
March made $6,700. The LEGO Education robotics kits for spring break camp came out of program materials, not general supplies, since they're reused across future sessions.
- Regpack session registrationsSession fees
- School gym rental, spring break weekVenue rental
- LEGO Education orderProgram materials
- Instructor stipendsInstructor pay
- Blick Art Materials orderProgram materials
Why your books are different
A specialty camp's books go wrong because the venue and the program change every session.
A generalist bookkeeper expects one fixed location and one steady staff. You rent a different gym or classroom for each session, buy different materials for a robotics week versus a painting week, and pay instructors per session rather than an hourly schedule. Gus keeps that variety straight.
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1
Venue rental costs get buried in general expenses
Renting a school gym for a sports week and a community center room for an art week are two different costs tied to two different sessions, and lumped together, you cannot see whether a given venue is worth the price.
What we doKeeps venue rental costs tied to the session they support, so you can see whether a location's price makes sense against what that session earns. -
2
Program materials get spread across the wrong sessions
A LEGO robotics kit order and a Blick Art Materials order might both land in the same week, and if they are booked as one general supplies line, you cannot see whether the STEM week or the art week actually costs more to run.
What we doKeeps program materials tagged to the type of camp they support, so each program's real cost is visible on its own. -
3
Per-session instructor pay looks like irregular payroll
Paying an instructor a flat stipend for a one-week session, rather than an hourly wage, can look inconsistent from month to month if the books do not track which sessions ran and which instructors covered them.
What we doTies instructor pay to the sessions they taught, so stipend payments read as planned costs, not unexplained swings in payroll. -
4
A slow month between sessions looks like a bad sign
A calendar built around school breaks and summer means real gaps between programs, and a bookkeeper who does not know your session schedule can read a quiet month as a decline rather than the normal rhythm of the business.
What we doTracks your session calendar so a gap between programs reads as expected, not a warning sign.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a specialty camp.
Set up once for a business built around rotating venues and short sessions. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Session feesRegistration payments through Regpack or a similar system, tied to a specific program.
- Early registration depositsHeld until the session actually happens.
- Multi-session discountsAdjustments for families who register for more than one week.
- Equipment or supply feesAdd-on charges for a program requiring a take-home kit or gear.
Money out
- Instructor payPer-session stipends for STEM, art, or sports instructors.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of keeping regularly scheduled instructors on payroll rather than 1099.
- Venue rentalSchool gyms, community centers, or studio space rented by the day or week.
- Program materialsLEGO Education kits, Blick Art Materials orders, and sports gear tied to a specific program.
- Background checks and certificationsFingerprinting and CPR and First Aid renewal for instructors.
- Liability insuranceCoverage that covers each rented venue and program.
- MarketingRegistration ads and flyers sent home through partner schools.
What we watch for you
- Cost per session
Venue, materials, and instructor pay against what a single session brought in.
- Program type margin
How a STEM week compares to an art or sports week once materials and venue costs are separated.
- Venue cost ratio
Rental cost against session fees for each location, so you know which venues are worth returning to.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things specialty camp owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No, I tie the rental cost to that specific session, so you can see whether this venue's price made sense against what the week earned.
Yes, I keep materials tagged to the program they support, so you can see whether the STEM week or the art week actually costs more to run.
It stays payroll if you set the schedule and they teach under your direction. I tie the pay to the session so it reads as a planned cost, not an odd swing in payroll.
The tax side
The tax side of running a specialty camp.
Most of what matters here is keeping per-session instructor pay classified correctly and tying rented-venue and materials costs to the right program.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Session instructors are usually employeesAn instructor you schedule, direct, and pay a set stipend to teach your curriculum is generally an employee, even if the arrangement is only a single week.
- Contractor 1099s for true independent instructorsAn instructor who sets their own curriculum, brings their own equipment, and works independently may be a contractor. If paid $2,000 or more in 2026, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- Equipment purchased for programsRobotics kits, art supplies, and sports gear meant to be reused across future sessions can often be treated as equipment rather than a one-time supply expense, which matters for how it's deducted.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed, which comes out right when session income and program costs are booked to the right week all year.
Deductions specialty camp providers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Robotics and STEM kits
- Art supplies
- Sports equipment
- Venue rental fees
- Background check and fingerprinting fees
- CPR and First Aid renewal
- Liability insurance
- Registration software fees
- Marketing to partner schools
- Storage for reusable program materials
- Mileage between rented venues
- Instructor training materials
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A specialty camp's year, kept every month.
Your sessions follow school breaks and summer. Your taxes come on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the instructor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand for the year, including how the summer session lineup changed what you will owe.
- October
Before winter break sessions
A look at materials worth restocking and venues worth booking before winter break camps go on sale.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for specialty camp providers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions specialty camp owners ask first.
We run different programs at different venues each month. Can the books keep up with that?
Yes. Gus ties each venue's rental cost and each program's materials to the specific session they belong to, so you can compare programs and locations against each other.
Our instructors are only booked for one week at a time. Does that count as payroll?
Usually, yes. If you set the schedule and they teach your curriculum, they're an employee for that session, even though the job is short.
Some of our instructors bring their own curriculum and equipment. Are they treated differently?
They may be true independent contractors depending on how much control you have over their work. Gus flags cases like that so the accountant can confirm how they should be classified.
We have slow months between camp sessions. Is that going to look like trouble?
No. Gus tracks your session calendar, so a gap between programs reads as the normal rhythm of the business rather than a decline.
We buy expensive robotics kits that get reused for years. How should that be handled?
Gear meant to be reused across future sessions can often be treated as equipment rather than a one-time supply cost, which affects how it gets written off. Gus flags the purchase for the accountant.
Our records are split across a registration app and a separate spreadsheet for expenses. Can Gus combine them?
Yes. Send what you have from both. Gus sorts it into sessions and programs, and the accountant works from what actually happened.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in childcare & youth programs
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Baby & toddler classes (music, sensory)
- Babysitting agencies
- Before & after school programs
- Drop-in & hourly childcare
- In-home family daycares
- Overnight summer camps
- Parents' night out programs
- Summer day camps
- Tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids
- Kids birthday party venues
- Kids gyms & play programs
- Nanny agencies
- Childcare & daycare centers
- Preschools
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever