Looking for a little reassurance...

i've finally put the finishing touches on my rather lengthy policy book. it's the first one i've put together, and i'm nervous that the parents are in for a bit of a shock. there's nothing in there that should shock anyone, (at least i don't think so:unsure:), but still...

putting my foot down with people has never come super easy to me, and this sounds so...putting my foot down.

i guess we'll see the reaction next week. i hand the booklet out this friday. changes will take effect july 1st, so for most it won't change anything until next sept (most of my dcf are teacher families).

hopefully i won't scare away my dcf signed up for fall!:blink:

It is important for the parents to have guidelines to follow otherwise they can be like toddlers running amoke with your daycare rules.
If any questions arise from the parents, stand firm and back up your policy decisions. They are important for the smooth running of your business.
If any parents have issues with a policy just tell them your experience up to now with your daycare dictates that it is an important policy and will remain.

Best of luck to you. If your clients love you already they won't have any problems with the rules in black and white. But my policies are only 6 pages long and I believe if you want parents to remember all your rules you should make them simple and clearly written without loopholes. I don't understand why some people have rules that go on forever. But maybe I just have a short attention span. :)

I think I have a 12 page policy book but it has headings so parents can find what area they need to.

Personally. I had a daycare provider who have me a 12-15 page policy book and I kept it in my office desk and would consult it whenever there was something that i wanted to know...i.e about vacations or how much notice she needed for time off or what i needed to send for the summer or winter in the diaper bag etc. It was a good resource tool for me and I hope that my daycare parents find it the same.

I know my policy book is on the longer side, I think it's still clear and simple, with a contents page to help parents find topics quickly, much like you mentioned spixie. I think better to have it all detailed than to leave things open to interpretation...or MISinterpretation. ;)

i'm sure all will be well, but it's always a bit nerve wracking putting things in black and white. A relief in the end though, i think. :) thanks for the encouragement!