Formulating a Day Care Contract

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.

Quite simply, your day care contract should indicate to parents what you do, how you do it, who you are, your expectations in terms of their behaviour and how you deal with transgressions and complaints- essentially you are setting out your terms, conditions, procedures, rules and policies in a clear and concise manner. 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? Well, as it happens I have more than a few years of operational experience in this madcap world of day cares and, through much trial, error and ongoing learning have a pretty good idea of the stuff that you need to address. I'll throw you a few hints and tips to get you started but you'll need to build and personalize your own contract. You don't get off scott free y'know!.now get those pencils 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.

Next up I have a general section where I ramble on about the different rooms, programs enacted, beg that toys from home stay at home, information on meals, diaper changing routine and detail a little about my drop off/pick up/settling in procedures (dropping a child off down the chimney is not really encouraged!). My behavior policy is included where I make it very clear exactly what I do in specific situations and!what I don't do (tying a child to a tree is not really an option!). The toilet training policy emphasizes the importance of parent and provider working together and it's helpful to detail your requirements in terms of clothing etc (it's all very well to have a child run around au naturel at home but when you have vast quantities of toilet training toddlers!.well, think about it!!).

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. Reassure them though that, while you may be busy they can also make an appointment to meet with you for a more in-depth discussion should the need arise. 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.

In between minding her own child and running her daycare business Fiona Lohrenz manages to maintain her childcare website. She has also produced a 'Start a ChildCare Business' DVD guide: Start a Day Care You can find her at her website: Child Care Provider Resources

- Rene Sandan