Originally Posted by professionalmom:
I use third person, but I set it all up in the very beginning. "This is an agreement between the Caregiver/Provider, (my name and credentials), and the Parent or Legal Guardian, (parent or parents name), of (names of children), minor child(ren) in the Provider's care."
Then I also clarify what "Parent" means by saying, "Parent or Legal Guardian will be referred to as 'Parent'. Also, 'Parent' may refer to one or more parents or legal guardians."
If you only say "Parent", then you may have to adjust if you are dealing with grandparents or aunts or uncles with permanent or temporary custody. "Legal guardian" also covers custodial step-parents. When it comes to the contract, I am very happy that I went to law school. My contract may be wordy, but at least it does not have very many vague parts that can be disputed in court. Come your own tushie - always! And you can never be too thorough.
I also use terms like "the Child" and "the Daycare" to further separate that this is not personal, it's business.
It's almost as if you were a lawyer or something!
