Avoiding the contract...

[Lisa T]

Good afternoon... I'm new here and hoping this will be a great source of information for my new home daycare. I have two children in my care and the mother does not seem to want to sign a contract... I have tried several times to politely let her know that it is for both of our best interests but still nothing. She says "tomorrow" a lot.
I know that I need to be more firm but I feel bad that these kids have been in 4 daycares already (only 3years old!) and I get the feeling that the mother is the issue.... I have contract work available to me (I'm a medical office admin by trade) but wanted something that was stable and I can't keep going on with no insurance that this family will be in my care.... any advice?

[jupadia]

I've allways made it simple for parents. There is simply no care without a contract. My contract also holds all the child's info such as emergency contacts and alergys information. I even have drop in sign a contract.

[BlueRose]

If she doesn't sign, she doesn't get care. Its that simple.

This job is anything but stable. just because they sign a contract doesn't mean they will be with you long. "full at drop off, empty by close" is a saying that is used a lot in this business. You never now when a family will give you notice.

[Lisa T]

Yes, I have a few girlfriends that have been doing care for some time and they have told me to remember the red flags. This family has quite a few ... having a contract makes me feel like I have a little security ... though maybe a false one.

[Lisa T]

Yes, my contract contains all pertinent information on each child... well should ... right now if there was an emergency I couldn't even tell 9-1-1 their actual birthday... as a parent I can't imagine leaving my child in the care of someone else without providing all their necessary information. I was warned that parents are more difficult to deal with vs. the kids!

[Crayola kiddies]

No contract ... no care .... also make sure you are paid in advance and not after care is provided..... and don't feel bad cause you are going to get stiffed ...if you are getting paid after care is provided then when she is paid up you say please bring the contract on Monday (or whatever the next day of care is) and if she walks in without it then you say I'm sorry you can't stay .... if you want to take the kids and go get it and come back then that's fine but the kids can not stay here without a signed contract anymore

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Yes, my contract contains all pertinent information on each child... well should ... right now if there was an emergency I couldn't even tell 9-1-1 their actual birthday... as a parent I can't imagine leaving my child in the care of someone else without providing all their necessary information. I was warned that parents are more difficult to deal with vs. the kids!

You are placing self in massive liability situation. You have to run your business or it will run you. Tell parent that no contract = no more care. And be ready to enforce that and close door on them if come tomorrow without it signed. This rediculous.

[Busy ECE mommy]

I don't let people start daycare without a signed contract and deposit, and it needs to be in my hands several weeks before starting care. What if you didn't know about some health condition/allergy/developmental issue before starting? Also you have no way of reaching the parents in an emergency. Absolutely no care until contract is signed and you've reviewed it.

[Busy ECE mommy]

I might add, I had a parent take a month to get their paperwork back to me, and it was now a week before starting that I realized the child had a severe anaphalactic allergy(which I don't accomodate). They were quite upset that I cancelled the contract, but if I'd had the contract in a timely manner, we all could have been spared the inconvenience.

[Crayola kiddies]

Soooo? What happened ?