Contract

**Scout** · 12-29-2012, 11:40 PM

Nevermind, the spacing looks great once it posted!!

**nanglgrl** · 12-30-2012, 01:33 AM

Originally posted by Scout

So, I have had problems with one family not bringing their child since right now they do not pay if not here...I know, lesson learned!

so here is my contract for the new year!! It is my first since I just opened Halloween. I am nervous and excited about it!! To warn you it is long though...IDk why it spaced all weird. It is fine when I print it. any other suggestions?? Thanks ladies and gents!

You may contact me either by phone or email. I only ask that unless it is urgent, you do not
call me after 8 pm, as this is my children's bedtime. I can be available by text or email
after 8 pm. I will be checking both prior to going to bed each night.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.
I would get rid of the part saying you check it before going to bed every night. Some parents think what they have to say is urgent even if it's not so a parent could e-mail you about a scratch her child has at 9:00 and when she doesn't get a reply by 9:10 she will call..and call..and call. You could also get rid of the "children's bedtime" bit.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child so that I can lock the doors in between.
I would require parents that have a varied schedule to fill out a sheet each week with their schedule or there could be problems. Mom tells you at pick up (when you are busy) that she will drop off at 9 am tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and she is knocking on your door at 7. She tells you she said 7 and you know she said 9. Also, don't explain why.

Your rates include up to 10 hours of care per day. If you are more than 15 minutes late past
your normal pick up time (without at least one days notice) there will be a $5 late charge for
every 15 minutes thereafter. This is because my kids have activities that are planned that
start shortly after I close, such as swimming lessons, & I do not want them to miss them.
Obviously do what you're comfortable with but I would never be this lenient with pick up time or you are going to have parents take advantage and always come 15 minutes late. Also, don't explain your reasons. Parents should pick up on time because that is the time they agreed upon. Start charging late fees the minute they are late.
I do understand that traffic or inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for either of these reasons past your normal pick up time.
So every time a parent is late they are going to say it was because of traffic or inclement weather. If a parent is 30 minutes late because of "traffic" it's going to get old quick. If you have inclement weather in your area or there is a bad accident backing up traffic you can decide on the spot to not charge a late fee but always say, "In my contract it states that I should charge you a late fee but because of the ____ I will let it go this time. This is a one time thing"

Rates:

I reserve the right to change rates once per calendar year.

All rates include breakfast (depending on drop off time), lunch, snacks, milk, & juice
(exluding formula or baby food). If there are any foods or drinks you would not like
your child to be served please be sure to tell me so, that we are on the same page.
So are you willing to buy soy milk if a child does not like the milk you serve? Or make a whole other meal for one child because mom says they won't eat what you're serving? I would just say if you don't like what I'm serving you can send food but please contact me beforehand.

Part time consists of a minimum of 3 paid days, even if only 2 are used.
Part time rates of $5 per hour, per child, is available up to 6 hours of care.
Part time days are available at $30 per day for 6-10 hours of care for one child, $50 per
day for two children.
So if a child attends for 5 1/2 hours they are charged $30 and if they attend 6-10 hours they are also charged $30? That is unless they are there with a sibling and then they are only charged $25? This seems like an awesome deal that you may want to rethink. I would just say the tuition for part time care is $90 a week. Part time care is care is no more than ____hours per week/day and no more than ____ days per week.

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week. This is so I can
plan any outings or special projects, as I would like all kids to be able to participate.
When would you like them to tell you by? Is Monday morning at 9 am o.k. or would you prefer to know the Friday or Sunday before hand. What happens if they don't get their schedule to you by a certain time?

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week.
Full time hourly rates are available at $5 per hour, per child, up to 6 hours.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.
Usually full time rates are less than part time rates. This is a huge deal for 2 children. A lot of providers don't give a discount for a second child with the reasoning that they do not receive less care. I would definitely check your area to see if a discount (and this big of one) is the norm. Also, and I'm not trying to be mean but the whole tuition thing is confusing. A norm would be to say something like "Part time care is offered at the providers discretion. Part time care is anything less than 21 hours a week and the tuition is $90. Full time care is anything between 21 hours and 50 hours and the tuition is $130. Anything over 50 hours will be charged at the rate of X per hour.

Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.

You may also pay biweekly. If this is the method you choose I do ask for 1 week prepayment so
that I may buy any food or supplies your child will be using.

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.
I would definitely have parents pay before care is provided but that's just me and you need to do what works for you. When I changed to prepaying it took a huge weight off my shoulders and none of my clients batted an eyelash. What is the consequence is they do not have payment at pick up? The wording is also confusing for me. Maybe it's because my brain is fried from the holiday but I keep having to reread it.

I will provide any receipts if requested & give you any tax information in January for your
child care credit.
Be prepared for some parents to start asking on January 1st. I would just say "I will provide you a yearly receipt for tax purposes by January X"

I reserve the right to enforce a late fee of $10 per day if payment is not received by
friday at pick up. After 3 days of late payment, your child can not return until all money
is paid in full.
Maybe include the late payment fee above the receipt sentence. I would say they can not attend until they pay. What you are basically saying is that if they do not pay by Monday their child can not attend until they pay in full so say it simply. no pay no play. .

Free Days:

Each child will receive 2 weeks of free days to use as you see fit. Examples would be sick,
vacation, or holiday days. The number of days you receive depends on the number of days It says above that each child receives 2 weeks
your child attends. If your child attends 3 days per week, they would get 6 free days. Per year?
If your child attends 5 days per week, they would get 10 free days! I will need to know
as soon as possible if you are using a free day so that I do not depend on that income. I would set a definite time you need to know by and how much time they can use at once. What happens when everyone decides to use their free days at the same time and tells you the night before? I had it happen once when the flu went around and I didn't get a paycheck that week. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and it was horrible

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

**If you are using free days for a week's vacation I will need at least 8 weeks notice
for you to use the free days. If you fail to provide 8 weeks notice, you will need to
pay your normal tuition for the vacation.** What if they use their free days for a week of their child being ill? If someone forgets to inform you of a vacation it would be simple for them just to say their child had the flu that week so they could use their free days.

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.
I would check on what the norm is in your area. Right now you are giving yourself NO benefits. You take a vacation, sick or personal day you won't get paid. They take a vacation, sick or personal day you don't get paid. You don't even get paid for major holidays unless they use their free days up. The only time you get paid if they aren't there is if they have used up their free days. If parents have used up their free days or are close to it and a holiday/vacation is approaching expect them to try and bring their children sick. Unless it's unheard of in your area I would change this. If I were looking for care and the provider had no paid time off I would think she didn't think she was worth it. JMO

Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days. I will try to send my kids to a grandparents house
when they are mildly ill to avoid closures or illnesses spreading.

I would leave out the part about your children and the grandparents. If you leave it your sure to have some parent ask why you can't take your child to grandma's when they are ill and truthfully its none of their business.
Holidays:

Holidays will be paid at the normal daily rate ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY IN ATTENDENCE
ON THE DAY ON WHICH THE HOLIDAY FALLS. For example, if your child is not usually here on
Mondays, you would not be charged for Labor Day or Memorial Day. The same applies for any
holiday that falls on a weekend. You may use your free days for holidays if you choose.
Be prepared for all but one client to use their free days on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and other major holidays when most businesses close and because they just have to tell you "as soon as possible" be prepared to get a ton of calls the night before.
I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

Maternity Leave:

I will hold your child's spot if you are on maternity leave & keep your child home with you
for the following fees; all fees are per child.

6 weeks $75
8 weeks $100
10 weeks $125
12 weeks $150

There will be no refund if your child does not return.
If their child does not return after 12 weeks and they've paid you $150 you've lost $1410 in possible income. $150 is not a lot to loose if a parent thought they might need you but decides to stay home with their child. You need to make the price worth you loosing income for the time period but also enough so the parent will think twice about changing their mind about going back to work, going to another provider, etc.

Legally, I only have a limited number of available spots for children so, we can discuss if I
will have room for your infant if needed.

Summers off:

If you have a career where your child will be home with you in the summer months I will hold
your child's spot for a fee of $75; all fees are per child. There will be no refund if your
child does not return. If the $75 is per week fine but if it's to hold a spot for the entire summer you're doing yourself a great disservice.

Illness Policy:

Please use your best judgement on if your mildly sick child should come to childcare. I
reserve the right to refuse care if I feel your child is too ill to be here. Remember that
your child will be much more comfortable with family when ill.

If your child has a cold, I do not mind if they come. I do ask that all children old enough
be trained to do so cover their mouths while coughing, either into their elbow or into their
shirt.

If your child has a low grade fever but, just had an immunization, I do not mind if they come. Most parents will always say it's because of an immunization, teething or allergies even if it's obviously not.

If your child has a low grade fever but, is showing no other signs of illness & is generally
acting normal, I do not mind if they come.

I reserve the right to send home any child I feel is too ill to be here any time after drop
off.

I have a thermal scan thermometor to use on all kids. If your child becomes ill while in my
care I will call you to come pick them up. I expect this to be done as soon as possible as I
will try to seperate them from the other children. Your child may not return until all
symptoms are gone (without medication) for 24 hours.
"as soon as possible" to some parents means after they finish the laundry, run to the grocery store and pick up the dry cleaning.

Your child may not attend with the following illnesses:

Unexplained fever of 100.5 or above without medication
Vomiting within the last 24 hours
Diarrhea(more than 3x in the last 24 hours) when it happens at your house the parents will usually be shocked and say they were fine this morning
Hand, foot, mouth disease How long for this? Until scabs heal? Until fever is gone?
Strep throat
Chickenpox
Croup
Any unexplained rash
Pink eye(conjunctivitis)
Head Lice

I will administer any antibiotics prescribed to your child IF IN THE ORIGINAL BOTTLE WITH YOUR
CHILD'S NAME & DOSEAGE CLEARLY MARKED if needed while in my care. ** Your child must have
already had at least 2 doses prior to me administering.**

I will administer a nebulizer treatment if needed while in my care. Some parents will make sure to schedule all treatments to be done at your house so they have less to do when they get home.

I will administer tylenol, motrin, benedryl, or saline nose drops while in my care if needed. Then how will you know if they have a fever or are to sick to attend?
I require that these meds always be available for me while your child is here. You may bring
them daily or I can keep them here. **Please be sure to mark each bottle with your child's
name and current doseage.**

If your child needs an Epi pen I will require a lesson on how to use it & that one be kept
here at all times.

Diapers, wipes, & other supplies:

If your child is still using diapers, wipes, or pull ups I will require one pack on the first
day of care at drop off. I will let you know prior to me running out when you will need to
bring more. If you fail to bring more by the time they are needed there will be a charge of
$.50 per diaper or $.10 per wipe that I use until new ones are brought. This may cover your cost but does not make it important to the parent to bring the supplies. Are you ready to charge $.10 for every wipe all week long, keep track of it and have the parent pay it no problem week after week?

In the warmer months we will be spending time outdoors & I will require that your child have
sunscreen available for daily use.

Additional Clothing:

I require all children to have one pair of additional clothing available at all times. This
includes socks & undergarments. You may keep them here or bring them daily.

Outings:

At this time I do not transport by vehicle. I will, however, be taking walks with the kids
as much as possible in the warmer months. This may include trips to the local shopping center
or library, with parental consent.

Naptime:

Each child will have his/her own pack n play or cot. I will mark it with your child's name
and no other child will use it.

Generally, naps are from 1:30-3:15

Older children who do not nap (ages 4 & up) will have quiet time.

If you need to make appointments for your child please do not schedule for pick up during
these hours.

Comfort Items:

Items such as blankets, lovies, or pacifiers are welcome for nap time or any other time I feel
your child needs extra comfort. I do ask that soft items be laundered on a regular basis to
cut down on germs!

Outside toys:

I ask that no toys be brought to childcare. I have seen this cause problems with sharing. We
have plenty of toys to share here.

Disipline:

I will redirect the younger children who can not sit in time out. For older children I will
use time out based on the child's age. One minute for each year of life. I will do this
more than once per day if needed. I will discuss any issues with you as soon as I feel they
have become an issue!

Terminating care:

If either party wishes to terminate care they may do so with a 2 week written notice.

I reserve the right to immediatley terminate care if the reason is based on extreme behavioral
issues (such as hurting another child on purpose). If they don't give you notice do they still have to pay?

Whenever possible, I will work with parents to try to iron out any issues your child may be
having here. I want your child to enjoy coming here & for you to be happy as well.
Terminating care would be a last resort for me for behavorial issues.

I reserve the right to terminate care immediately for the following:

1. Regular abuse of policies or hours of operation(not limited to regular late pick ups even
if late fees are paid).

2. Regular late payments or non payment.

Thank you for choosing me to provide your childcare needs! Please feel free to ask or tell
me anything about your child that pertains to my relationship with them. Open communication
is important in our goal of giving your child a happy, healthy days here in my care!

There are also some spelling/punctuation errors. I tried my best to bold the spelling errors. I went through my contract and noticed the same and that was after I checked it a million times. I feel like this contract is all over the place and confusing and I'm really, really not trying to be mean. I'm only trying to help. There are several seasoned providers on here that would be more than happy to share their contracts and policies with you on here. It would give you a good start so you wouldn't have to change things later. I will send you a link to my contracts/policies (they aren't perfect either). I used some of the other seasoned providers on this site and the contracts/policies CD that is provided with Tom Copeland's book. You can use them, change them, never look at them or laugh at them I just hope they help in some way.

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 08:59 AM

Thanks for the response! Here are my thoughts.

As for checking out what is the norm in my area, I know this as I was a dcf until October. We only paid $35 per day for both children, which included food. This was only $10 more per day for our second! We did not pay when the kids were not there, we did not pay for vacation for her, etc. Only when they were there.

The spelling & punctuation errors...I hate notepad!! And it was late so thank you for pointing them out!

The sibling discount is the norm for our area as well.

As far as the free days, I wanted to be competitive with other providers who do not give any. When my kids were in a home daycare setting, they were sick a lot. I would rather not collect a paycheck than have sick kids here, even if it is for one full week. I thought this would keep them home!

I did check out Craigslist when figuring rates. The norm around here is between $20-$30 a day for full time care...stinks!

H,F,M-good point. I will put that in

Late fees, Right now I feel I can be lenient with because I can only have 4 kids so there is not a whole lot of families to keep up with! They are usually picked up by 4 anyway. I just don't want kids here past 6 pm, KWIM?

The food comment I will reword so that they don't think I will make special meals. I did leave out about the provided food being without any special diet restrictions! Thanks for reminding me. I did tell them this in the interview but, somehow left it out!

The maternity leave is the norm here as well....

I think I have answered all your comments. I really do appreciate them! I can't believe I was up until 2 am doing this!

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 09:04 AM

My main family has paid me no matter what...they were only here two days t his week and she paid the full amount!! I am not saying this is the norm, I think I just got lucky.

My other family would've already used up all free days this month alone so I am pretty sure they will not be keeping home again just because they decide not to come! They are the main reason for this contract. I realize it may be a lot of days but, I am just starting out so I had to keep that in mind also. Most providers here have been doing this for 15 plus years. Thanks!

**Blackcat31** · 12-30-2012, 10:05 AM

Originally posted by Scout

So, I have had problems with one family not bringing their child since right now they do not pay if not here...I know, lesson learned!

so here is my contract for the new year!! It is my first since I just opened Halloween. I am nervous and excited about it!! To warn you it is long though...IDk why it spaced all weird. It is fine when I print it. any other suggestions?? Thanks ladies and gents!

You may contact me either by phone or email. I only ask that unless it is urgent, you do not
call me after 8 pm, as this is my children's bedtime. I can be available by text or email
after 8 pm. I will be checking both prior to going to bed each night.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.
You may contact me using e-mail, text or phone. NO phone calls after 8 P.M.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child so that I can lock the doors in between.
ALL parents are required to fill out a weekly schedule with accurate drop off and pick up times. No exceptions.

Your rates include up to 10 hours of care per day. If you are more than 15 minutes late past
your normal pick up time (without at least one days notice) there will be a $5 late charge for
every 15 minutes thereafter. This is because my kids have activities that are planned that
start shortly after I close, such as swimming lessons, & I do not want them to miss them.

I do understand that traffic or inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for either of these reasons past your normal pick up time.

Rates are for a maximum of 10 hours per day. There will be a $5 late charge for every 15 minutes after your scheduled pick up time.

Rates:

I reserve the right to change rates once per calendar year.
Rates will be reviewed and updated yearly.

All rates include breakfast (depending on drop off time), lunch, snacks, milk, & juice
(exluding formula or baby food).
All meals and snacks that fall within your scheduled time are included. Infants formula and foods are NOT provided.

If there are any foods or drinks you would not like
your child to be served please be sure to tell me so, that we are on the same page.
Please notify me of any food allergies your child has.

Part time consists of a minimum of 3 paid days, even if only 2 are used.

Part time consists of a minimum of 3 paid days regardless of attendance.

Part time rates of $5 per hour, per child, is available up to 6 hours of care.
Part time days are available at $30 per day for 6-10 hours of care for one child, $50 per
day for two children.
Part time rates are $30 per day for anything over 5 ours of care. $50 per day for 2 children.
Hourly rates for less than 6 hours per day are $5 per hour, per child.

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week. This is so I can
plan any outings or special projects, as I would like all kids to be able to participate.

^^I don't think this part is necessary if you require parents to give you a written schedule each week WITH drop off and pick up times.

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week.
Full time hourly rates are available at $5 per hour, per child, up to 6 hours.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.

Your rates are confusing because $130 per week is less than the $30 per day you stated. Do parents have the choice every week to pay daily or weekly? You will end up getting the short end of the stick if yo do it that way.. Parents will always choose weekly and pay the weekly rate and then use ALL the care they can.
Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.
I feel like you are asking parents how they want to do it. YOU are in charge. State what options you are willing to accept. This is going to be a troublesome area for you if you let parents think they can pay when and how they want to.
You may also pay biweekly. If this is the method you choose I do ask for 1 week prepayment so
that I may buy any food or supplies your child will be using.
This doesn't make sense to me. If they are paying bi-weekly, they will be paying you for two weeks so why do you need the one week of pay?

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.

I will provide any receipts if requested & give you any tax information in January for your
child care credit.
I think legally you should ALWAYS give a receipt when being paid. I do it simply as a security measure. Better to be safe than sorry.

I reserve the right to enforce a late fee of $10 per day if payment is not received by
friday at pick up. After 3 days of late payment, your child can not return until all money
is paid in full.
A fee of $10 will be added to any late payments. If payments are not made in FULL after 3 days, no services will be provided.

Free Days:

Each child will receive 2 weeks of free days to use as you see fit. Examples would be sick,
vacation, or holiday days. The number of days you receive depends on the number of days
your child attends. If your child attends 3 days per week, they would get 6 free days.
If your child attends 5 days per week, they would get 10 free days! I will need to know
as soon as possible if you are using a free day so that I do not depend on that income.

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

All children will receive a specific number of free days dependent on the child's enrollment status. You may use these days as absent, vacation or personal days.
5 days per week attendance = 10 days
3 days per week attendance = 6 days
Days will only be credited if ADVANCE notice is given
Free days can only be used during absences.
A minimum of 8 weeks notice is required when using free days for 5 or more consecutive days.

**If you are using free days for a week's vacation I will need at least 8 weeks notice
for you to use the free days. If you fail to provide 8 weeks notice, you will need to
pay your normal tuition for the vacation.**

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

^^^I dont think you need to say that. I would think (hope) most people understand how the free days work. You can always just reiterate it during the interview.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.

Provider reserves the right to take 2 weeks of unpaid vacation time per year. 12 weeks notice will be given prior to vacation.
Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days. I will try to send my kids to a grandparents house
when they are mildly ill to avoid closures or illnesses spreading.

Provider reserves the right to close due to illness or illness of family members. Provider also reserves the right to close for death of a family member.

I don't think you need to explain that you will send your kids away. I think that can be a verbal conversation if necessary otherwise, it really isnt the parents business if you are doing all you can to prevvent illnesses....kwim?
Holidays:

Holidays will be paid at the normal daily rate ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY IN ATTENDENCE
ON THE DAY ON WHICH THE HOLIDAY FALLS. For example, if your child is not usually here on
Mondays, you would not be charged for Labor Day or Memorial Day. The same applies for any
holiday that falls on a weekend. You may use your free days for holidays if you choose.

I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

I will be closed on the following holidays:
New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

You must pay for any holidays that fall on your normally scheduled days.

I think you are going to see parents just skip around your holidays and avoid paying for them. I think you should charge ALL families for paid holidays. As a parent, if I knew your part timers (who give you less business than I do) don't have to pay holidays and I did, I would be mad and it would be a deciding factor in choosing you as my provider. I think full time families are your mainstay so if you aren't going to bill everyone, you shouldn't bill anyone.

I reworded things in red and made comments in bold.

Obviously those are just my suggestions and advice and you can definitely word/say things however you want.

If what I offered was helpful or useful, I can comment on the rest if you want.

The billing/scheduling/payment part was just something that really stuck out to me so I couldn't help responding. Hate to see providers get the short end of things if there are loopholes for parents....because they WILL find them and use them.

**Angelwings36** · 12-30-2012, 10:25 AM

Originally posted by Scout

So, I have had problems with one family not bringing their child since right now they do not pay if not here...I know, lesson learned!

so here is my contract for the new year!! It is my first since I just opened Halloween. I am nervous and excited about it!! To warn you it is long though...IDk why it spaced all weird. It is fine when I print it. any other suggestions?? Thanks ladies and gents!

You may contact me either by phone or email. I only ask that unless it is urgent, you do not
call me after 8 pm, as this is my children's bedtime. I can be available by text or email
after 8 pm. I will be checking both prior to going to bed each night.

If you are allowing parent's to contact you outside of your open hours be prepared to be on the clock and available at all times. What if you had an event scheduled one evening and were unable to answer your phone, text, email etc... You are leaving yourself open for a parent to be upset if you are not available at all times until 8:00pm. You may also find after so many months of being on the clock and available to clients outside of your normal business hours that your family life really starts to take a back seat. I know my family would not appreciate it if we were watching a family movie and a client called/texted/emailed me and I had to put our plans on hold to respond to that client. Personally I do not allow contact outside of business hours with the exception of an email which I will not respond to until my next available open time.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.

I would request that parents contacted me by EMAIL only to inform me that their child would not be attending for the day. This works for two reasons. One I have written notification. Two I do not have to take time out of me "off time" to respond to a client.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child so that I can lock the doors in between.

When do you expect a parent to notify you of their drop off time. By closing the following day or by a cut off time the morning of? Some parents may not even contact you until they are minutes away from your house which means you will be unknowingly waiting on a drop off for Lord knows how long.

Your rates include up to 10 hours of care per day. If you are more than 15 minutes late past
your normal pick up time (without at least one days notice) there will be a $5 late charge for
every 15 minutes thereafter. This is because my kids have activities that are planned that
start shortly after I close, such as swimming lessons, & I do not want them to miss them.

I would increase your late fees. Parent's can easily be an hour late and only pay $20 for that extra hour of care. You would be surprised how many parents would be fine doing this.

I do understand that traffic or inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for either of these reasons past your normal pick up time.

I would not include this in your contract at all because this will be the main reason everytime that a parent will say they are late.

Rates:

I reserve the right to change rates once per calendar year.

All rates include breakfast (depending on drop off time) What time is breakfast cut off?, lunch, snacks, milk, & juice
(exluding formula or baby food). If there are any foods or drinks you would not like
your child to be served please be sure to tell me so, that we are on the same page.

If a parent doesn't like a specific food or drink are you willing to supply something different or do they have to supply it? If they supply it when do they need to bring it?

Part time consists of a minimum of 3 paid days, even if only 2 are used.
Part time rates of $5 per hour, per child, is available up to 6 hours of care.
Part time days are available at $30 per day for 6-10 hours of care for one child, $50 per
day for two children.

I don't understand why 6 hours of care costs $30/day when 6-10 hours of care also costs $30/day?

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week. This is so I can
plan any outings or special projects, as I would like all kids to be able to participate.

[/B]When should a parent notify of you of an irregular part time schedule? The week before, 2 weeks before, a month before? What will you do if you don't get that schedule on time?[/B]

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week.
Full time hourly rates are available at $5 per hour, per child, up to 6 hours.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.

I do not understand the full time hourly rate? If a child is coming full time then they would pay a flat fee per month for you to be available every day through out the month, what is the hourly rate for?

Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.

You are going to run into MANY, MANY problems by not collecting payment upfront.

You may also pay biweekly. If this is the method you choose I do ask for 1 week prepayment so
that I may buy any food or supplies your child will be using.

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.

I will provide any receipts if requested & give you any tax information in January for your
child care credit.

On what date in January will you be giving tax information?

I reserve the right to enforce a late fee of $10 per day if payment is not received by
friday at pick up. After 3 days of late payment, your child can not return until all money
is paid in full.

I would not accept a child into care at all until all fees are paid in full. This again can cause you MANY, MANY problems.

Free Days:

Each child will receive 2 weeks of free days to use as you see fit. Examples would be sick,
vacation, or holiday days. The number of days you receive depends on the number of days
your child attends. If your child attends 3 days per week, they would get 6 free days.
If your child attends 5 days per week, they would get 10 free days! I will need to know
as soon as possible if you are using a free day so that I do not depend on that income.

What does ASAP mean? The morning of, the night before, a week before?

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

**If you are using free days for a week's vacation I will need at least 8 weeks notice
for you to use the free days. If you fail to provide 8 weeks notice, you will need to
pay your normal tuition for the vacation.**

If you allowing families to give you very little notice to use free days for sick days then be prepared for families to not bring their child to daycare for a week (which will likely be their holidays) and blame it on their child being ill. Maybe to avoid this you could put a cap on how many days per week a family is allowed to use for free days.

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.

If you are giving family free days you should give yourself some paid days off.

Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days. I will try to send my kids to a grandparents house
when they are mildly ill to avoid closures or illnesses spreading.

If you are giving family free sick days I would give yourself some paid sick days. I would not disclose that you will be sending your children to their grandparents as parent's will expect this everytime then and you may not be able to do it everytime.

Holidays:

Holidays will be paid at the normal daily rate ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY IN ATTENDENCE
ON THE DAY ON WHICH THE HOLIDAY FALLS. For example, if your child is not usually here on
Mondays, you would not be charged for Labor Day or Memorial Day. The same applies for any
holiday that falls on a weekend. You may use your free days for holidays if you choose.

I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

Maternity Leave:

I will hold your child's spot if you are on maternity leave & keep your child home with you
for the following fees; all fees are per child.

6 weeks $75
8 weeks $100
10 weeks $125
12 weeks $150

There will be no refund if your child does not return.

Legally, I only have a limited number of available spots for children so, we can discuss if I
will have room for your infant if needed.

I would never hold a space for that low of a fee as it would cause a huge business income loss for me.

Summers off:

If you have a career where your child will be home with you in the summer months I will hold
your child's spot for a fee of $75; all fees are per child. There will be no refund if your
child does not return.

Again I would never hold a space for that low of a fee as it would cause a huge business income loss for me.

Illness Policy:

Please use your best judgement on if your mildly sick child should come to childcare. I
reserve the right to refuse care if I feel your child is too ill to be here. Remember that
your child will be much more comfortable with family when ill.

If your child has a cold, I do not mind if they come. I do ask that all children old enough
be trained to do so cover their mouths while coughing, either into their elbow or into their
shirt.

If your child has a low grade fever but, just had an immunization, I do not mind if they come.

Do you really want the extra liability of caring for a child that just had an immunization? Define low grade fever.

If your child has a low grade fever but, is showing no other signs of illness & is generally
acting normal, I do not mind if they come.

Define low grade fever.

I reserve the right to send home any child I feel is too ill to be here any time after drop
off.

I have a thermal scan thermometor to use on all kids. If your child becomes ill while in my
care I will call you to come pick them up. I expect this to be done as soon as possible as I
will try to seperate them from the other children. Your child may not return until all
symptoms are gone (without medication) for 24 hours.

I would put a specific time frame on how long a parent can take to pick up an ill child.

Your child may not attend with the following illnesses:

Unexplained fever of 100.5 or above without medication
Vomiting within the last 24 hours
Diarrhea(more than 3x in the last 24 hours)
Hand, foot, mouth disease
Strep throat
Chickenpox
Croup
Any unexplained rash
Pink eye(conjunctivitis)
Head Lice

I will administer any antibiotics prescribed to your child IF IN THE ORIGINAL BOTTLE WITH YOUR
CHILD'S NAME & DOSEAGE CLEARLY MARKED if needed while in my care. ** Your child must have
already had at least 2 doses prior to me administering.**

I will administer a nebulizer treatment if needed while in my care.

I will administer tylenol, motrin, benedryl, or saline nose drops while in my care if needed.
I require that these meds always be available for me while your child is here. You may bring
them daily or I can keep them here. **Please be sure to mark each bottle with your child's
name and current doseage.**

If your child needs an Epi pen I will require a lesson on how to use it & that one be kept
here at all times.

If you are willing to medicate a child how will you know if they are actually running a fever and should be excluded?

Diapers, wipes, & other supplies:

If your child is still using diapers, wipes, or pull ups I will require one pack on the first
day of care at drop off. I will let you know prior to me running out when you will need to
bring more. If you fail to bring more by the time they are needed there will be a charge of
$.50 per diaper or $.10 per wipe that I use until new ones are brought.

Instead of charging per diaper or per wipe which will likely end up being more work for you than anything I would suggest that if a family fails to bring supplies their child can not attend until those supplies are brought.

In the warmer months we will be spending time outdoors & I will require that your child have
sunscreen available for daily use.

Additional Clothing:

I require all children to have one pair of additional clothing available at all times. This
includes socks & undergarments. You may keep them here or bring them daily.

Outings:

At this time I do not transport by vehicle. I will, however, be taking walks with the kids
as much as possible in the warmer months. This may include trips to the local shopping center
or library, with parental consent.

Naptime:

Each child will have his/her own pack n play or cot. I will mark it with your child's name
and no other child will use it.

Generally, naps are from 1:30-3:15

Older children who do not nap (ages 4 & up) will have quiet time.

If you need to make appointments for your child please do not schedule for pick up during
these hours.

Comfort Items:

Items such as blankets, lovies, or pacifiers are welcome for nap time or any other time I feel
your child needs extra comfort. I do ask that soft items be laundered on a regular basis to
cut down on germs!

Outside toys:

I ask that no toys be brought to childcare. I have seen this cause problems with sharing. We
have plenty of toys to share here.

Disipline:

I will redirect the younger children who can not sit in time out. For older children I will
use time out based on the child's age. One minute for each year of life. I will do this
more than once per day if needed. I will discuss any issues with you as soon as I feel they
have become an issue!

Terminating care:

If either party wishes to terminate care they may do so with a 2 week written notice.

I reserve the right to immediatley terminate care if the reason is based on extreme behavioral
issues (such as hurting another child on purpose).

Whenever possible, I will work with parents to try to iron out any issues your child may be
having here. I want your child to enjoy coming here & for you to be happy as well.
Terminating care would be a last resort for me for behavorial issues.

I reserve the right to terminate care immediately for the following:

1. Regular abuse of policies or hours of operation(not limited to regular late pick ups even
if late fees are paid).

2. Regular late payments or non payment.

Thank you for choosing me to provide your childcare needs! Please feel free to ask or tell
me anything about your child that pertains to my relationship with them. Open communication
is important in our goal of giving your child a happy, healthy days here in my care!

I didn't add any of my comments to insult you I just wanted to share my input and experience on different areas to help you to better decide what you would like to do with your policies in the end. It may also help you from having to re-do your contract over and over when issues do arise.

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 10:34 AM

revised contract

You may contact me either by phone or email. I only ask that unless it is urgent, you do not
call me after 8 pm. I can be available by text or email after 8 pm.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child by pick up the day before.

Your rates include up to 10 hours of care per day. If you are more than 15 minutes late past
your normal pick up time (without at least one days notice) there will be a $5 late charge for
every 15 minutes thereafter.

I do understand that inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for this reason.

Rates:

I reserve the right to change rates once per calendar year.

All rates include breakfast (depending on drop off time), lunch, snacks, milk, & juice
(exluding formula or baby food) for all children with no special diet restrictions.
If there are any foods or drinks you would not like your child not to be served
please be sure to tell me so that we are on the same page.

Part time consists of three days per week, up to 30 hours of care.
Part time rates are $90 per week for one child or $150 per week for two children.

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week by friday at
pick up for the following week. This is so I can plan any outings or special projects,
as I would like all kids to be able to participate.

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week, up to 50 hours of care.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.

Half days are also available at a rate of $5 per hour up to 5 hours.

Any care provided after the full 30 or 50 hours will be billed at $5 per hour plus
any late fees that have incured.

Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.

You may also pay biweekly. If this is the method you choose I do ask for 1 week prepayment so
that I may buy any food or supplies your child will be using.

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.

I reserve the right to enforce a late fee of $10 per day if payment is not received by
friday at pick up. After 3 days of late payment, your child can not return until all money
is paid in full.

I will provide receipts and tax information in January so that you may claim your child care
credit.

Free Days:

Each child will receive 2 weeks of free days to use per calander year as you see fit.
Examples would be sick, vacation, or holiday days. The number of days you receive depends
on the number of days your child attends. If your child attends 3 days per week, they would
get 6 free days. If your child attends 5 days per week, they would get 10 free days! I will
need to know at the time you contact me that you are using a free day if your child will not
be coming. If you do not state that you are using a free day, you will be billed your
normal daily rate for the absent day.

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

**If you are using free days for a week's vacation I will need at least 8 weeks notice
for you to use the free days. If you fail to provide 8 weeks notice, you will need to
pay your normal tuition for the vacation.**

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.

Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days.

Holidays:

Holidays will be paid at the normal daily rate ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY IN ATTENDENCE
ON THE DAY ON WHICH THE HOLIDAY FALLS. For example, if your child is not usually here on
Mondays, you would not be charged for Labor Day or Memorial Day. The same applies for any
holiday that falls on a weekend. You may use your free days for holidays if you choose.

I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

Maternity Leave:

I will hold your child's spot if you are on maternity leave & keep your child home with you
for the following fees; all fees are per child.

6 weeks $75
8 weeks $100
10 weeks $125
12 weeks $150

There will be no refund if your child does not return.

Legally, I only have a limited number of available spots for children so, we can discuss if I
will have room for your infant if needed.

Summers off:

If you have a career where your child will be home with you in the summer months I will hold
your child's spot for a fee of $50 per week; all fees are per child. There will be no refund
if your child does not return.

Illness Policy:

Please use your best judgement on if your mildly sick child should come to childcare. I
reserve the right to refuse care if I feel your child is too ill to be here. Remember that
your child will be much more comfortable with family when ill.

If your child has a cold, I do not mind if they come. I do ask that all children old enough
be trained to do so cover their mouths while coughing, either into their elbow or into their
shirt.

I reserve the right to send home any child I feel is too ill to be here any time after drop
off.

I have a thermal scan thermometor to use on all kids. If your child becomes ill while in my
care I will call you to come pick them up. I expect this to be done within one hour. After
one hour a late fee of $5 per every 15 minutes will apply. Your child may not return until all
symptoms are gone (without medication) for 24 hours.

Your child may not attend with the following illnesses:

Unexplained fever of 100.5 or above without medication
Vomiting within the last 24 hours
Diarrhea(more than 3x in the last 24 hours)
Hand, foot, mouth disease (until all sores are crusted over & fever is gone without meds for
24 hours)
Strep throat
Chickenpox
Croup
Any unexplained rash
Pink eye(conjunctivitis)
Head Lice

I will administer any antibiotics prescribed to your child IF IN THE ORIGINAL BOTTLE WITH YOUR
CHILD'S NAME & DOSEAGE CLEARLY MARKED if needed while in my care. ** Your child must have
already had at least 2 doses prior to me administering.**

I will administer a nebulizer treatment if needed while in my care.

I will administer tylenol, motrin, benedryl, or saline nose drops while in my care if needed.
I require that these meds always be available for me while your child is here. You may bring
them daily or I can keep them here. **Please be sure to mark each bottle with your child's
name and current doseage.**

If your child needs an Epi pen I will require a lesson on how to use it & that one be kept
here at all times.

Diapers, wipes, & other supplies:

If your child is still using diapers, wipes, or pull ups I will require one pack on the first
day of care at drop off. I will let you know prior to me running out when you will need to
bring more. If you fail to bring more by the time they are out there will be a charge of $5
per day until supplies are replenished.

In the warmer months we will be spending time outdoors & I will require that your child have
sunscreen available for daily use.

Additional Clothing:

I require all children to have one pair of additional clothing available at all times. This
includes socks & undergarments. You may keep them here or bring them daily.

Outings:

At this time I do not transport by vehicle. I will, however, be taking walks with the kids
as much as possible in the warmer months. This may include trips to the local shopping center
or library, with parental consent.

Naptime:

Each child will have his/her own pack n play or cot. I will mark it with your child's name
and no other child will use it.

Generally, naps are from 1:30-3:15

Older children who do not nap (ages 4 & up) will have quiet time.

If you need to make appointments for your child please do not schedule for pick up during
these hours.

Comfort Items:

Items such as blankets, lovies, or pacifiers are welcome for nap time or any other time I feel
your child needs extra comfort. I do ask that soft items be laundered on a regular basis to
cut down on germs!

Outside toys:

I ask that no toys be brought to childcare. I have seen this cause problems with sharing. We
have plenty of toys to share here.

Discipline:

I will redirect the younger children who can not sit in time out. For older children I will
use time out based on the child's age. One minute for each year of life. I will do this
more than once per day if needed. I will discuss any issues with you as soon as I feel they
have become an issue!

Terminating care:

If either party wishes to terminate care they may do so with a 2 week written notice.

I reserve the right to immediately terminate care if the reason is based on extreme behavioral
issues (such as hurting another child on purpose).

Whenever possible, I will work with parents to try to iron out any issues your child may be
having here. I want your child to enjoy coming here & for you to be happy as well.
Terminating care would be a last resort for me for behavoiral issues.

I reserve the right to terminate care immediately for the following:

1. Regular abuse of policies or hours of operation(not limited to regular late pick ups even
if late fees are paid).

2. Regular late payments or non payment.

Thank you for choosing me to provide your childcare needs! Please feel free to ask or tell
me anything about your child that pertains to my relationship with them. Open communication
is important in our goal of giving your child a happy, healthy days here in my care!

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 11:14 AM

Originally posted by Scout

You may contact me either by phone or email. I only ask that unless it is urgent, you do not
call me after 8 pm. I can be available by text or email after 8 pm.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child by pick up the day before.

Your rates include up to 10 hours of care per day. If you are more than 15 minutes late past
your normal pick up time (without at least one days notice) there will be a $5 late charge for
every 15 minutes thereafter.

I do understand that inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for this reason.

Rates:

I reserve the right to change rates once per calendar year.

All rates include breakfast (depending on drop off time), lunch, snacks, milk, & juice
(exluding formula or baby food) for all children with no special diet restrictions.
If there are any foods or drinks you would not like your child not to be served
please be sure to tell me so that we are on the same page.

Part time consists of three days per week, up to 30 hours of care.
Part time rates are $90 per week for one child or $150 per week for two children.

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week by friday at
pick up for the following week. This is so I can plan any outings or special projects,
as I would like all kids to be able to participate.

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week, up to 50 hours of care.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.

Half days are also available at a rate of $5 per hour up to 5 hours.

Any care provided after the full 30 or 50 hours will be billed at $5 per hour plus
any late fees that have incured.

Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.

You may also pay biweekly. If this is the method you choose I do ask for 1 week prepayment so
that I may buy any food or supplies your child will be using.

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.

I reserve the right to enforce a late fee of $10 per day if payment is not received by
friday at pick up. After 3 days of late payment, your child can not return until all money
is paid in full.

I will provide receipts and tax information in January so that you may claim your child care
credit.

Free Days:

Each child will receive 2 weeks of free days to use per calander year as you see fit.
Examples would be sick, vacation, or holiday days. The number of days you receive depends
on the number of days your child attends. If your child attends 3 days per week, they would
get 6 free days. If your child attends 5 days per week, they would get 10 free days! I will
need to know at the time you contact me that you are using a free day if your child will not
be coming. If you do not state that you are using a free day, you will be billed your
normal daily rate for the absent day.

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

**If you are using free days for a week's vacation I will need at least 8 weeks notice
for you to use the free days. If you fail to provide 8 weeks notice, you will need to
pay your normal tuition for the vacation.**

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.

Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days.

Holidays:

Holidays will be paid at the normal daily rate ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY IN ATTENDENCE
ON THE DAY ON WHICH THE HOLIDAY FALLS. For example, if your child is not usually here on
Mondays, you would not be charged for Labor Day or Memorial Day. The same applies for any
holiday that falls on a weekend. You may use your free days for holidays if you choose.

I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

Maternity Leave:

I will hold your child's spot if you are on maternity leave & keep your child home with you
for the following fees; all fees are per child.

6 weeks $75
8 weeks $100
10 weeks $125
12 weeks $150

There will be no refund if your child does not return.

Legally, I only have a limited number of available spots for children so, we can discuss if I
will have room for your infant if needed.

Summers off:

If you have a career where your child will be home with you in the summer months I will hold
your child's spot for a fee of $50 per week; all fees are per child. There will be no refund
if your child does not return.

Illness Policy:

Please use your best judgement on if your mildly sick child should come to childcare. I
reserve the right to refuse care if I feel your child is too ill to be here. Remember that
your child will be much more comfortable with family when ill.

If your child has a cold, I do not mind if they come. I do ask that all children old enough
be trained to do so cover their mouths while coughing, either into their elbow or into their
shirt.

I reserve the right to send home any child I feel is too ill to be here any time after drop
off.

I have a thermal scan thermometor to use on all kids. If your child becomes ill while in my
care I will call you to come pick them up. I expect this to be done within one hour. After
one hour a late fee of $5 per every 15 minutes will apply. Your child may not return until all
symptoms are gone (without medication) for 24 hours.

Your child may not attend with the following illnesses:

Unexplained fever of 100.5 or above without medication
Vomiting within the last 24 hours
Diarrhea(more than 3x in the last 24 hours)
Hand, foot, mouth disease (until all sores are crusted over & fever is gone without meds for
24 hours)
Strep throat
Chickenpox
Croup
Any unexplained rash
Pink eye(conjunctivitis)
Head Lice

I will administer any antibiotics prescribed to your child IF IN THE ORIGINAL BOTTLE WITH YOUR
CHILD'S NAME & DOSEAGE CLEARLY MARKED if needed while in my care. ** Your child must have
already had at least 2 doses prior to me administering.**

I will administer a nebulizer treatment if needed while in my care.

I will administer tylenol, motrin, benedryl, or saline nose drops while in my care if needed.
I require that these meds always be available for me while your child is here. You may bring
them daily or I can keep them here. **Please be sure to mark each bottle with your child's
name and current doseage.**

If your child needs an Epi pen I will require a lesson on how to use it & that one be kept
here at all times.

Diapers, wipes, & other supplies:

If your child is still using diapers, wipes, or pull ups I will require one pack on the first
day of care at drop off. I will let you know prior to me running out when you will need to
bring more. If you fail to bring more by the time they are out there will be a charge of $5
per day until supplies are replenished.

In the warmer months we will be spending time outdoors & I will require that your child have
sunscreen available for daily use.

Additional Clothing:

I require all children to have one pair of additional clothing available at all times. This
includes socks & undergarments. You may keep them here or bring them daily.

Outings:

At this time I do not transport by vehicle. I will, however, be taking walks with the kids
as much as possible in the warmer months. This may include trips to the local shopping center
or library, with parental consent.

Naptime:

Each child will have his/her own pack n play or cot. I will mark it with your child's name
and no other child will use it.

Generally, naps are from 1:30-3:15

Older children who do not nap (ages 4 & up) will have quiet time.

If you need to make appointments for your child please do not schedule for pick up during
these hours.

Comfort Items:

Items such as blankets, lovies, or pacifiers are welcome for nap time or any other time I feel
your child needs extra comfort. I do ask that soft items be laundered on a regular basis to
cut down on germs!

Outside toys:

I ask that no toys be brought to childcare. I have seen this cause problems with sharing. We
have plenty of toys to share here.

Discipline:

I will redirect the younger children who can not sit in time out. For older children I will
use time out based on the child's age. One minute for each year of life. I will do this
more than once per day if needed. I will discuss any issues with you as soon as I feel they
have become an issue!

Terminating care:

If either party wishes to terminate care they may do so with a 2 week written notice.

I reserve the right to immediately terminate care if the reason is based on extreme behavioral
issues (such as hurting another child on purpose).

Whenever possible, I will work with parents to try to iron out any issues your child may be
having here. I want your child to enjoy coming here & for you to be happy as well.
Terminating care would be a last resort for me for behavoiral issues.

I reserve the right to terminate care immediately for the following:

1. Regular abuse of policies or hours of operation(not limited to regular late pick ups even
if late fees are paid).

2. Regular late payments or non payment.

Thank you for choosing me to provide your childcare needs! Please feel free to ask or tell
me anything about your child that pertains to my relationship with them. Open communication
is important in our goal of giving your child a happy, healthy days here in my care!

I posted this prior to seeing any other comments! BC-I love your wording. Short and to the point!!

I thought almost all of you gave a weekly rate that was cheaper than the daily rate???:confused: Did my rewording take care of that issue? I am not even sure what I said now!!:

:

Maybe next year, I should not drink ****tails while doing this! But, it was Saturday night!!

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 11:28 AM

:

Originally posted by Angelwings36

I didn't add any of my comments to insult you I just wanted to share my input and experience on different areas to help you to better decide what you would like to do with your policies in the end. It may also help you from having to re-do your contract over and over when issues do arise.

No one is insulting me!!

The inclement weather thing I just can not feel good removing. We live where it does snow & our freeways are a mess! I only watch up to 4 kids and most are picked up by 4 so, they should be able to get here by closing if a storm occurs. I have been there so I can't do it!!

I am willing to be a little lenient with the late payment also because I have been there. I would not have been able to go to work if my provider did that to us. KWIM? It was not her problem but, her understanding really helped me.

I have one family that direct deposits every Friday, the other family prepays. We always paid after care was provided...if I did prepay it seemed to jinx me and DS would get sick!

I am a very down to earth person and I want to run my business as much as I can this way, without being taken advantage of! So far, I have not had any issues other than the family keeping their child home when they don't feel like coming.

Fevers, my kids act sick when really ill, and most times act fine so I will be basing this on behavior.

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 12:53 PM

better??

You may contact me using e-mail, text or phone. NO phone calls after 8 P.M.

If you know your child will not be attending the following day please contact me by either
of these methods.

Hours of operation: Mon-Fri 5:30 am - 6:00 pm

If your drop off time will not be the same each day, please make sure I know when to expect
your child by pick up the day before.

Rates are for a maximum of 10 hours per day. There will be a $5 late charge for every 15 minutes after your scheduled pick up time.

I understand that inclement weather may delay you, so there will be no charge
if you are late for this reason.

Rates:

Rates will be reviewed and updated yearly.

All meals and snacks that fall within your scheduled time are included for
all children with no special diet restrictions. Infant formula or food is
not included.

Please notify me of any food allergies your child has.

If there are any foods or beverages you would like you child to not be
served please tell me.

Part time consists of three days per week(regardless of attendance), up to
30 hours of care.
Part time rates are $90 per week for one child or $150 per week for two children.

Please let me know if you have a flex schedule that changes week to week by friday at
pick up for the following week. This is so I can plan any outings or special projects,
as I would like all kids to be able to participate.

Full time rates consist of 3-5 days per week, up to 50 hours of care.
Full time weekly rates are $130 for one child or $200 for two children.

Half days are also available at a rate of $5 per hour up to 5 hours.

Any care provided after the full 30 or 50 hours will be billed at $5 per hour plus
any late fees that have incured.

Payment:

Payment is due on the friday following care at pick up. You may prepay if you like also & I
can credit any free days you choose to use.

I will accept cash, check, or direct deposit if your bank allows it. There will be a $25 fee
for any returned checks. After 2 occurances of NSF I will only accept cash. Checks will be
deposited as soon as I can get them to the bank.

A fee of $10 will be added to any late payments. If payments are not made in FULL after 3 days,
no services will be provided.

I will provide receipts and tax information in January so that you may claim your child care
credit.

Free Days:

All children will receive a specific number of free days dependent on the child's enrollment
status. These may be used as absent or vacation days.

5 days per week attendance = 10 days
3 days per week attendance = 6 days
Days will only be credited if ADVANCE notice is given.

A minimum of 8 weeks notice is required when using free days for 3 or more consecutive days
due to vacation.

Free days are only to be used when your child is absent from childcare.

Once you have used all your free days, you pay whether your child is here or not.

Provider Vacation:

I will take 2 weeks of UNPAID vacation each year. One of these will probably always be the
last week in July or the first week in August. I will try to give at least 12 weeks notice
when possible. The only exclusion to this would be a family death or an illness.

Provider Sick Days:

If I am closed due to my own or my family's illness I will contact you as soon as possible.
There will be no charge for these days.

Holidays:

Holidays that fall on normal business days will be charged at the normal rate.

You may use your free days for holidays ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS IN ATTENDANCE
the rest of the week.

I will be closed the following holidays:

New Years Day
Memorial Day
July 4
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

**Christmas Eve I will be closing at 3 pm.**

Maternity Leave:

I will hold your child's spot if you are on maternity leave & keep your child home with you
for the following fees; all fees are per child.

6 weeks $75
8 weeks $100
10 weeks $125
12 weeks $150

There will be no refund if your child does not return.

Legally, I only have a limited number of available spots for children so, we can discuss if I
will have room for your infant if needed.

Summers off:

If you have a career where your child will be home with you in the summer months I will hold
your child's spot for a fee of $50 per week; all fees are per child. There will be no refund
if your child does not return.

Illness Policy:

Please use your best judgement on if your mildly sick child should come to childcare. I
reserve the right to refuse care if I feel your child is too ill to be here. Remember that
your child will be much more comfortable with family when ill.

If your child has a cold, I do not mind if they come. I do ask that all children old enough
be trained to do so cover their mouths while coughing, either into their elbow or into their
shirt.

I reserve the right to send home any child I feel is too ill to be here any time after drop
off.

I have a thermal scan thermometor to use on all kids. If your child becomes ill while in my
care I will call you to come pick them up. I expect this to be done within one hour. After
one hour a late fee of $5 per every 15 minutes will apply. Your child may not return until all
symptoms are gone (without medication) for 24 hours.

Your child may not attend with the following illnesses:

Unexplained fever of 100.5 or above without medication
Vomiting within the last 24 hours
Diarrhea(more than 3x in the last 24 hours)
Hand, foot, mouth disease (until all sores are crusted over & fever is gone without meds for
24 hours)
Strep throat
Chickenpox
Croup
Any unexplained rash
Pink eye(conjunctivitis)
Head Lice

I will administer any antibiotics prescribed to your child IF IN THE ORIGINAL BOTTLE WITH YOUR
CHILD'S NAME & DOSEAGE CLEARLY MARKED if needed while in my care. **Your child must have
already had at least 2 doses prior to me administering.**

I will administer a nebulizer treatment if needed while in my care.

I will administer tylenol, motrin, benedryl, or saline nose drops while in my care if needed.
I require that these meds always be available for me while your child is here. You may bring
them daily or I can keep them here. **Please be sure to mark each bottle with your child's
name and current doseage.**

If your child needs an Epi pen I will require a lesson on how to use it & that one be kept
here at all times.

Diapers, wipes, & other supplies:

If your child is still using diapers, wipes, or pull ups I will require one pack on the first
day of care at drop off. I will let you know prior to me running out when you will need to
bring more. If you fail to bring more by the time they are out there will be a charge of $5
per day until supplies are replenished.

In the warmer months we will be spending time outdoors & I will require that your child have
sunscreen available for daily use.

Additional Clothing:

I require all children to have one pair of additional clothing available at all times. This
includes socks & undergarments. You may keep them here or bring them daily.

Outings:

At this time I do not transport by vehicle. I will, however, be taking walks with the kids
as much as possible in the warmer months. This may include trips to the local shopping center
or library, with parental consent.

Naptime:

Each child will have his/her own pack n play or cot. I will mark it with your child's name
and no other child will use it.

Generally, naps are from 1:30-3:15

Older children who do not nap (ages 4 & up) will have quiet time.

If you need to make appointments for your child please do not schedule for pick up during
these hours.

Comfort Items:

Items such as blankets, lovies, or pacifiers are welcome for nap time or any other time I feel
your child needs extra comfort. I do ask that soft items be laundered on a regular basis to
cut down on germs!

Outside toys:

I ask that no toys be brought to childcare. I have seen this cause problems with sharing. We
have plenty of toys to share here.

Discipline:

I will redirect the younger children who can not sit in time out. For older children I will
use time out based on the child's age. One minute for each year of life. I will do this
more than once per day if needed. I will discuss any issues with you as soon as I feel they
have become an issue!

Terminating care:

If either party wishes to terminate care they may do so with a 2 week written notice.

I reserve the right to immediately terminate care if the reason is based on extreme behavioral
issues (such as hurting another child on purpose).

Whenever possible, I will work with parents to try to iron out any issues your child may be
having here. I want your child to enjoy coming here & for you to be happy as well.
Terminating care would be a last resort for me for behavoiral issues.

I reserve the right to terminate care immediately for the following:

1. Regular abuse of policies or hours of operation(not limited to regular late pick ups even
if late fees are paid).

2. Regular late payments or non payment.

Thank you for choosing me to provide your childcare needs! Please feel free to ask or tell
me anything about your child that pertains to my relationship with them. Open communication
is important in our goal of giving your child a happy, healthy days here in my care!

**Scout** · 12-30-2012, 01:08 PM

I did change the late fee for illness to $1 per minute after one hour. Getting a slight backbone??!:

:

**nanglgrl** · 12-30-2012, 03:01 PM

Originally posted by Angelwings36

I didn't add any of my comments to insult you I just wanted to share my input and experience on different areas to help you to better decide what you would like to do with your policies in the end. It may also help you from having to re-do your contract over and over when issues do arise.

Our comments are so similar I think we might be twins...plus both of our usernames have angel (mines nangl)....:

:

**CozyHome** · 12-30-2012, 09:58 PM

My contract is extremely opposite to yours. It's not the least bit personal as yours is, it's all facts and professional, not to insult you, but you have a lot of stuff in your contract about your own family.

You shouldn't have to ever explain your reasons for your policies, just state your policies!

**Blackcat31** · 12-31-2012, 09:02 AM

Originally posted by Scout

Maybe next year, I should not drink ****tails while doing this! But, it was Saturday night!!

I stopped responding for that same reason..... :

::

:

Originally posted by Scout

The inclement weather thing I just can not feel good removing. We live where it does snow & our freeways are a mess! I only watch up to 4 kids and most are picked up by 4 so, they should be able to get here by closing if a storm occurs. I have been there so I can't do it!!

I understand the weather thing....as I live in northern MN but I personally wouldn't give parents written permission to be late and even provide the excuse....kwim?

Why not just set rules for lateness and then if and when someone is late due to weather, take that opportunity to say to them that you are waiving the late fee due to weather. You can always do things like that on a case by case occurance rather than having to have it spelled out ahead of time.

Writing it in your contract makes you sound like a pushover (sorry, I don't mean that rudely

)

Originally posted by Scout

I am willing to be a little lenient with the late payment also because I have been there. I would not have been able to go to work if my provider did that to us. KWIM? It was not her problem but, her understanding really helped me.

Same concept here. Why give them permission to be late with payments.....why not just set your policies and then handle them individulally on a case by case basis?

Originally posted by Scout

I have one family that direct deposits every Friday, the other family prepays. We always paid after care was provided...if I did prepay it seemed to jinx me and DS would get sick!

ALL my families pre-pay. If they need to use a credited day due to illness/absence, I just credit it to the next weeks charge. You are only giving a max of 10 free days so it isn't hard to keep track of. If you want to see/use the form I use for tracking, PM me and I can e-mail it to you.

Another option for payment is offer a higher rate to families who pay AFTER services and your regular rates to families who pre-pay. Kind of a discount for pre-payment. Just remember post pay should be billed at a higher rate than pre-pay.

Originally posted by Scout

I am a very down to earth person and I want to run my business as much as I can this way, without being taken advantage of! So far, I have not had any issues other than the family keeping their child home when they don't feel like coming.

I think it is fantastic that you want to run your business this way because that is what makes child care so cool....we all do what works for us.

However, I just don't think you should put it all out there. Your parents will see during the interview and while doing business with you that you are a very down to earth person who is human.

IME, giving people "free passes" from the get go, is business suicide because you will either attract only clients who take advantage or you come across as a push over so when you DO want to enforce a policy, a parent will throw it back at you.

I would honestly set my policies firmly and then when a situation comes up, handle it in whatever manner you feel appropriate. Build a relationship of trust and respect with families BEFORE giving it away for free.

I have VERY black and white policies and very firm boundaries, but I will guarantee you that NONE of my families view me as a heartless, cold or as a strict business-only person. I have a warm, caring and very respectful relationship with all of them. They all know I am human and am very caring and generous and their years of business loyalty proves it.

Contract

Contract

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment