Originally Posted by Max:
Three part question 
I've read many providers have separate permission slips/forms for water activities, medication administration, photography, transporting, etc...
1. Do all of these need to be their own form / a separate piece of paper? Or can I just include it all in my contract? I hate the idea of wasting paper and having a bunch of extra forms for enrollment. I was thinking of having the following style of sub-sections in my contract:
Parent: Water Activities - please check one:
___ Yes, my child has permission to participate in water activities. This includes, but isn’t limited to: sprinklers, inflatable bounce slide, kiddie pools, and bathing when necessary.
___ No, I do not give my child permission to participate in water activities.
Parent: Medication Administration - please check one:
___ Yes, Provider has my permission to administer OTC medications as needed. This includes, but isn't limited to: ointment, sunscreen, bugspray, lotion, and oral medications.
___ No, my child does not have permission to have any OTC medications administered to him/her.
Parent: Photography Permission - please check one:
___ Yes, my child has permission to be photographed. Photos may be shared to promote the daycare program.
___ No, my child does not have permission to be photographed. I understand my child may still end up in photos, but his/her face will be blurred or covered before sharing.
Parent: Transporting Permission - please check one:
___ Yes, my child has permission to be transported by the Provider for field trips, outings, or appointments if necessary.
___ No, I do not give permission for my child to be transported.
2. What if a parent doesn't give permission for something like water activities? Do you just say "Sorry, but I can't sign/agree to this because I can't accommodate one child being left out if the group is playing in the sprinkler." It seems silly to give them a choice if they don't really have one.
3. If my program isn't going to accommodate a 'No' response, should I change my contract to not give 'No' as an option and just have them initial a statement saying "I give X permission for X"? This seems like the obvious answer but what the heck, I'll ask anyways!
You can have all the permissions be on one page or within your contract but you will need to make sure the parent answers each one specifically so there is no "gray" or opening in which a parent can say they did not give explicit permission.
I have mine on separate sheets.
As for parents not wanting to give permission, you are required to ask and required to provide alternate activities or have back up supervision for those times in which a parent does not want to give permission.
You are also within your rights to not accept a parent that says no to any of those things but personally, I think that's a risky move and limits your pool of clientele.
As far as simply not giving them an option, that works too but you still have to have their written permission to participate so if there isn't a "no" option, you still have to have a signature saying "yes". Make sense?