Thread: Contract
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nanglgrl 12:33 AM 12-30-2012
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. lol.



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.
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