Rank Rise Legal

Having a foolproof, comprehensive contract in place is a vital aspect of your day care business. Spending some time on this crucial document should be one of your high priorities. Speaking from painful exerience, much potential grief and gnashing of teeth can be avoided by having a well crafted contract.

Essentially your day care contract sets out your terms, conditions, policies, rules and procedures and, quite simply, should indicate to all parents who you are, what you do, how you do it, what your expectations are in terms of their behavior and how you deal with complaints and transgressions. There should be no gray areas, nothing left to chance or misinterpretation.

So, how do I get started, I hear you moan, and what should even be in this epic document? It just so happens that, through much trial, error and ongoing learning during my many years of running a day care I have a fairly good idea of the stuff you need to cover. I’ll throw you a few hints and tips to get you started but you’ll need to build and personalize your own contract. Sorry, you will have to do a bit of work!now, get that note pad out!!

I would suggest starting, at the beginning (strangely enough) where you can wax lyrical about your mission statement and ethos generally. Try and incorporate every aspect of a child starting in your day care i.e. what enrollment forms are required, the specific hours/days that care is required, necessary supplies, whether or not you institute a trial period (unfortunately, not everyone adjusts for various reasons) and detail your termination policy (if you kick my dog on the way in you’re outta here!!). You would be amazed how much incredibly important stuff is often glossed over so be sure and include your opening hours, late collection penalties, what dates you close, total number of children allowed, ratios of staff to child, insurance and license details. . Sticking to some of the nitty, gritty minutiae you could then launch into your payment policy. How much, when it’s due, what happens when one or other party takes a vacation, how and who to pay (you’d be surprised), your policy on late fees (a potentially very destructive element in the day care/parent dynamic if not addressed from the outset), your reservations/deposits procedure and rate increase policy.

I have what I call my ‘rambling section’ where I rattle on about general stuff such as the different programs we offer, meals information, advice on drop off/pick up/settling in procedures (please don’t parachute your child in!), diaper changing routine and a few lines where I beg parents not to bring toys in from home!! I include my behaviour policy where I document what actions I will take in specific situations plus!.what I don’t do (duct taping a child to a chair is not really an option!). Parent and provider cooperation is emphasized in the toilet training policy right down to what clothing should be worn (having your child run around naked doing the business at home is one thing!large groups of toilet training toddlers is quite another!).

Illness is a problematic area of recurring issues and problems. Your health and illness policy should state clearly exactly what you will do given specific signs and symptoms. Ultimately, a sick child needs to go home and you cannot have a contagious child in your day care. The sign over the door does not read ‘Hospital’. Have a specific time frame within which a child must be collected once you have contacted the parents and insist that it be respected. Your medication administration policy (both prescribed and non prescribed) including all relevant forms could be covered next.

Let parents know what your preferred method of communication regarding their children is whether a casual chat each evening, individual daily written reports or a small note book with daily comments. Should they require a more in depth discussion reassure them that, while you may be busy they are welcome to make an appointment for a sit down meeting. I have found annual parent/teacher meetings a very effective way to keep everyone up to speed.

And that’s it!! Your day care contract in a nutshell!cheeky grin. Quite frankly, there is a lot to consider and as your business evolves so will this organic document. You will amend your paperwork on an ongoing basis as needed. I hope my article has been a little helpful in getting you a tad closer to formulating your own contract. . If you need a little more help you can check out my Day Care Paperwork Package at www.childcarepaperwork.com or if you buy my fantastic Start a Day Care DVD Guide you get the paperwork package for FREE www.startchildcare.com. Both you and your day care can only benefit from a well designed contract and though there will be tear your hair out days your formidable contract should help to minimize them.

Fiona Lohrenz writes childcare articles based on the 10 years she has spent running a daycare. She also incorporates that knowledge into her ‘Start a ChildCare Business’ DVD Guide: Start a Day Care Find out more at her website: Child Care Provider Resources

- Rene Sandan