Field trip advice

[Suzie_Homemaker]

Yes - you must have the parents written permission each time vs a general waiver. The form does not relieve you of negligence but it does provide you with permission to take the children off site and evidence that they were informed and agreed to their child participating. It should detail where you are going, who is going with you, how you are getting there, expected duration off site. If one person says no/doesn't sign, their child cannot go, that likely means no one is going and the trip has to be cancelled.

You can pay for the entrance fee and get a receipt then claim that off your taxes as a business expense. Personally, while I know some provider's charge the parents, I would avoid that as you don't know someone's financial situation and if they decline based on cost (however reasonable we might deem it to be), then everyone misses out. I would just pay the fee myself - as I think more about this, there is always one family who forgets to pay for extras, is late paying extras, doesn't have the spare funds this weeks, etc so it's just easier for you to pay and then to claim it back off 2018 taxes. Don't forget to get a receipt for any parking too and your lunch as these can also be claimed as business expenses.

I don't think your trip is too long time wise especially as you have a stroller for the smaller children. Since you plan on being out for lunch, the stroller is wise as I imagine yours normally nap soon after lunch when you are home.

Make sure you have the children's emergency contact numbers both in your phone but also printed out. In the unthinkable event of a car accident, the emergency responders will need the printed version to be able to contact your clients if you are unable to do it/access your phone. Have a sticker with each child's name on their coat, (just their first name or maybe their initials), so they know which child is which.

My only other comment is of course to make sure you have insurance to transport the children and the appropriate car seats which are correctly installed. If you are all going in one vehicle, that's fine. If you can't get all the car seats in one vehicle, make sure both are insured for this purpose and detail on that permission slip that not all the children will be traveling with you. You might already have this insurance cover since you mentioned going to the park but I wasn't sure if you normally drive or walk to the park.

Have fun.