These settings live under Admin > Camper Setup > Module Settings.
They're easy to miss during initial setup, but the choices you make here flow through session rules, forms, reports, and division assignments. Make this decision carefully and with your full team; it's best not to change it once campers are in the system.
What you'll learn:
The difference between "grade completed" and "grade entering" and which fits your camp
How Campminder calculates camper ages and which setting to use
How to configure lead reminder and note defaults to match your workflow
Video Walkthrough
Set Your Grade Definition
Before you get started, decide what you want the camper’s grade to represent in your system:
Grade Completed: the grade the camper just finished.
Example: A camper who just finished 4th grade is recorded as 4th grade.Grade Entering: the grade the camper will enter after summer.
Example: A camper who just finished 4th grade is recorded as 5th grade.
💡 Tip: Most camps use Grade Entering because it reflects the grade the camper will be in during the upcoming school year.
Choose Your Setting
Navigate to Admin > Camper Setup > Module Settings.
Under Camper Grade, select Grade Completed or Grade Entering.
⚠️ Pay attention to this setting! It affects how grades are stored throughout your system. Choose the option that matches how your camp talks about grade.
What Familes See
If you choose Grade Entering, the system adds 1 to the grade a family enters on the Camper Application.
Example: The family enters 5th grade on the application, but the camper record will show 6th grade.
💡Tip: click on the gif below to enlarge
📋 Note: The school year shown under the grade field updates automatically. It cannot be edited and is the same regardless of which grade setting you choose.
Why This Matters
This setting affects things like reports, session rules, and division assignments. Once campers are in the system, changing the setting does not update existing camper records. It only affects new data going forward.
Take a moment to choose the setting that matches your camp before adding campers. Getting it right from the start will save you cleanup later.
🎯 Try it now: Go to Admin > Camper Setup > Module Settings and confirm which grade definition fits your camp. Set it, then come back.
Making edits to grade settings
If you ever update the grade definition after campers are already in the system, existing records won't change automatically. New calculations apply going forward only.
To manage the transition cleanly:
Add a note at the top of your application prompting families to double-check and update their child's grade.
Use a user report to manually update grades for returning campers before applications open.
Set Your Age Calculation Method
Under Camper Ages, select the radio button for how Campminder should compute a camper's age.
💡 Tip: Use Start of child camp season so Campminder calculates the camper's age as of opening day — not the date a parent fills out the application months earlier. This keeps your age-based rules accurate.
📋 Note: If you use Current date, a camper whose birthday falls after the application date will show the wrong age until their birthday arrives. This can cause issues with session eligibility and division rules.
Set Lead Reminder and Note Defaults
Under Lead Reminders, set your default reminder actions for when leads are manually added. You can always adjust these case by case, but setting a sensible default saves time.
Under Note Preferences, set your default settings for new notes — seasonality and person vs. household association. These defaults apply every time you add a note, so choose what you do most often.
📖 Related: Set Up Note Categories
Before you move on, check yourself:
Have you chosen between grade completed and grade entering — and do you know why that choice matters?
Do you know how Campminder will calculate camper ages under your current setting?
Have you set note and lead reminder defaults that match your typical workflow?
Ready for the next step?
Set Up Note Categories — define the note types your team will use across camper and staff records
Configure Grade Labels, Lead Sources, and Mailing Settings — customize the terminology and defaults that appear on applications and communications