CHARLOTTE -- This time of year, many parents begin signing their children up for summer camps. But before you do, there is one very important question that needs to be asked. Does the summer camp conduct criminal background checks on its employees?

There is no law in North Carolina or any kind of state regulation requiring background checks on summer camps. Because of this, many camps don’t conduct the checks in an effort to save money, even though on average it only costs about $10 per check.

Janet Morrison, president of the Child Protection Coalition of North Carolina, says it’s something every parents needs to know about.

“You need to make sure it's not like knocking on a stranger's door and when it's opened you hand them your children," said Morrison.

Camps run by national organizations such as the YMCA of the United States and Boys and Girls Scouts of America, as well as several county-run camps, do the checks as part of their hiring process.

In Mecklenburg County, the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation department conducts criminal background checks on every coach, counselor and summer camp employee.

“The youth is our most vulnerable age group and we want to make sure everyone who's working with them is qualified and we have checked their background,” said Terry Stowers, an official with the County Park and Recreation department.

The best way to check the quality of the camp is to see if they have been accredited by the American Camp Association. It's a voluntary process that covers more than 300 safety standards. There are 80 accredited camps in North Carolina.

To check and see if the camp you and your child are interested in is accredited by the ACA, you can visit acacamps.org.

Morrison says it’s best to send your child to one of the accredited camps. But at the very least, she says, the camp should do background checks. Otherwise it’s best to look into other options.

"You wouldn't hire a babysitter without having references, and you shouldn't have people watching your children eight hours a day, 40 hours a week without checking their background," she concluded.