Daycare Contract

I am in the process of opening my home daycare center and am just putting togther my contract and was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to share theirs with me i just want to make sure i haven't left anything out it would be greatly appreciated Thank you

What is contained in a contract if really kinda dependent on your values and goals for relationships with clients and so forth and your own priorities and so forth ... some people are really 'laid back' and go with the flow with their business and others like myself are well kinda ANAL about covering their ass and having everything out on the table regarding expectations and so forth :o

My contract is basically just regarding 'financial' end of our relationship and is 1 page double sided than I have a 'handbook' that is 20 pages and covers all the detailed things regarding care and service being provided by ME and my expectations for parents in regards to SUPPORTING that.

In my contract I cover:

• Parties it pertains to full legal names, contact info and who the 'tax receipt' is to be issued to
• Hours of Care committed to both days and start and stop times
• Start of Care date
• Registration fee and security deposit practices
• Payment of Fee policies .... when fees are due, how often, methods of payments accepted, tax receipts issued when, consequences for late payments, NSF cheques and so forth
• Program Closures and Provider illness, vacation and sick days and under what circumstances payment is due
• Client Vacation, sick days or absences and under what circumstances payment is due
• Termination of the contract procedures by the provider and by the client
• Contract renewal policies
• Acknowledge that in addition to the 'financial contract' clients are also bound by the policies and procedures of the Parent Handbook which contains 'policies' around care giving and program for both the provider and the parent.
• Signature and Date signed

Parent Handbook covers detailed information and explanations around:

• Mission Statement
• Program and Curriculum philosophy
• Registration practices
• Orientation practices
• What to Expect on your First Day - aka list to help ensure they are 'ready'
• Hours of Operation with list of standing 'holiday closures'
• Fee Payment policies in 'greater' detail
• Arrival / Departure policies
• Release procedures - how you will handle someone ELSE picking up a child aside from parents
• Changes to Custody while enrolled policies
• Supervision policies and practices of provider
• Nutrition policies and practices of provider and parents role
• Personal Belongings and what is 'required' checklist
• Physical Activity and Outdoor policies and practices
• Washroom and Potty Training policies and practices
• Health & Safety ... how immunization, illness at home or within the program is handled, illness that require exclusions list, emergency medical treatment plan, medication being administered
• Behavior and Guidance practices of provider
• Code of Conduct for expected behaviour
• Communication framework and conflict resolution step requests for both parties
• Program highlights and how clients can 'help'
• Field Trips and Off site visit policies and provider practices
• Confidentiality and Privacy of information practices (aka how personal information on clients is stored, how long it is kept and how it is 'destroyed' when it is no longer needed)

In addition I also have the following 'forms' parents fill out with additional information

• Child’s Information & Emergency contact information for parents, back up family, Dr, Dentist
• Parental Consent Forms for application of sunscreen, first aid treatment, tooth brushing, local walks and outings, vehicle transportation
• Photo Consent Form for the various uses of photos
• Medical Background Form with health card, immunization record, any allergies, any hospitalization, any childhood illnesses already had and so forth
• All About Me form ... current routine for eating, sleeping, diapering, likes, dislikes, challenging behaviours being worked on and so forth

My contract is simple and straightforward in plain language so there are no loopholes or questions. I have two pages that cover the legal part of the contract, including my info as one party of the contract and the parent's & child info as the other party to the contract. I include the dates the contract covers because I have parents resign it annually. I include all my fees and deposit charges on this part too.

Then I have 6 pages for my policies including:
List of all days the daycare is closed
I the Parent Shall (list of things I expect from the parents)
I the Caregiver Shall (list of everything the parents can expect from me)
Emergency Procedures
Releasing Child to Unknown Person
Nap/Quiet Time Procedures & Routine
Items to Bring to Daycare
Illness Policy for Caregiver
Illness Policy for Children
Vaccination Policy (I ask that children are vaxed on Fridays and therefore kept home for 48 hours)
Guilding Self-Discipline
Biting Occurrences
Outdoor Play Policy
Field Trips & Outings
Personal Property Brought to Daycare
Toileting & Self-Help Skills
Child Abuse Reporting
Termination of Agreement/Contract

I have the parents initial every paragraph and keep it short and to the point. I believe parents have a much better chance of remembering all the rules if they are simple.