Contract vs Handbook
I was wondering what should go in a contract. My contract is separate from my handbook and right now my contract contains the starting date, days and hours the child will be attending, their rate, and then I have a statement at the bottom saying “I have read the policies and procedures contained in the handbook and agree to abide by them” or something along those lines, and then the parents sign. Everything else is in my handbook but I’m wondering if my contract should contain more such as late fees, late pickup, etc? Am I missing anything? I’m just confused as to what goes where.
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My handbook contains all of my policies and procedures and then parents sign an agreement saying they will abide by those policies and procedures. The agreement they sign pretty much like yours, it has their names, child names, date, signatures, hours and rate.
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Mine is like yours ... parent names and info, child name, signature, date, start date, tuition rate, when tuition is due, their schedule etc. It also has an "I agree to follow the handbook" piece. I don't add my fees in there because I may change them frequently so I just have something about how the fees are in the "Rate Schedule" which is a separate sheet I have that lists all of my tuition rates and penalty fees.
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Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa: A contract is a legal document between you and a parent that spells out your legal obligations to each other. Namely, the days and hours that you will deliver child care services and the amount the parent is to pay you for your services. Time and money are the two terms of your contract that are legally enforceable. Your contract should also contain the names of the parties, how the contract can be ended, and signatures of both parties. Any change to a written contract must be in writing and signed by both parties. |
All I have in mine about money is this ..
Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : Originally Posted by : It have mine looked at by an attorney friend of my husband's and so far it has held up once already in court. I think it does also depend from state to state and court to court possibly even judge to judge. |
My contract and policies are the same document. Each page has a "I have read and agree to follow" place for DCPs to initial and the last page is where they sign.
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I used to have a handbook but no one followed it, so I turned it into a couple of pages "contract" that expires yearly.
I put in my contract all the deal breakers, and knowing that at the end of the year they may or may not get renewed based on behavior, parents respect every single rule on it!:D |
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa: |
So if a contract is legally binding but a handbook isn’t then anything regarding money should be in the contract it sounds like.
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Originally Posted by Unregistered: You can take a parent to court for not following your contract but you can't take a parent to court for not following your policies/handbook. This link helps explain all of it really well http://tomcopelandblog.com/whats-the...t-and-policies |
Mine is an all-in-one document.
I used to separate the two but realized then that nobody ever read the handbook because they didn't have to sign it. Even with the clause "I will abide by all policies and procedures outlined in the handbook." So, I reworked the handbook to require initials in the most important parts and signatures at the end of the handbook. Being that I am based on contracted hours and each family may have a different rate- I left a box open for ME to write in hours and rate with my signature. |
I have mine all in one. I probably shouldn't, but I require tuition payments on Friday for the following week. I ask for a two week notice and have only had one family leave and got more than 2 week notice. I guess I plan ahead financially and if someone left without the notice, I probably wouldn't want them around anyway so I wouldn't plan to take them to court. Winning doesn't mean you will ever see payment anyway and would mean taking time off for court.
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Originally Posted by Snowmom: |
Originally Posted by LysesKids: |
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