What Is Your Outing/Field Trip Policy?

Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Is Your Outing/Field Trip Policy?

SunshineMama 11:42 AM 02-28-2012

When you go on outings, do you always tell the parents in advance?

My current contract states that we will only go on outings if the parents are advised of it ahead of time and have given their permission, but I am tired of feeling cooped up in the house, and tired of feeling like I have to ask permission to go to the park, the science center, zoo, etc. I just want to be able to go wherever without having to always plan in advance, get permission, etc. Or there are times where I think it would be awesome to go somewhere but if I change my mind the next day (get a headache, rainy day, etc), I don't want to have already asked permission and gotten the children's hopes up and change my mind (wouldn't do that anyway, but you know what I mean). Or maybe a few kids call out sick and I only have one or two and we can go somewhere, but I have to wait for hours for mom and dad to respond with their ok...

What is your outing policy?

Cat Herder 11:45 AM 02-28-2012

Here it is required that we have signed permission slips for each and every outing.

Time, dates and location.

I even have to get them signed to play in an unfenced area of my own property.

bice99 11:47 AM 02-28-2012

My parents sign one general field trip/outing form each year with their contract. I can take kids where I want, when I want. Usually parents know about big ones (the zoo, etc) ahead of time, but the grocery store is always nice on nasty days when I only have 1 or 2 kids. They love hunting for what we want to make for lunch. And the produce section is full of colors, smells and textures.

SunshineMama 11:55 AM 02-28-2012

Fortunately I am not bound by any licensing restrictions. I do have permission to take them on walks and transport within the neighborhood by stroller. I wonder how they would feel about an all-inclusive permission slip? I like that idea very much.

Your parents are ok with trips to the grocery store? I have never brought it up in interviews only because I have had several parents tell me that they passed up other providers because the provider (gasp) wanted to run errands with their kid. So I was always afraid to even mention it. Personally I think it's fine and a part of the learning experience- the grocery store can be lots of fun!

Thanks for your input ladies!

daycare 12:03 PM 02-28-2012

I plan my calendar monthly and make changes to it as I see fit. I give the parents at least a 24-48 hour notice that we will be leaving by car.

If we can walk to the park or going on a walk, I will text them or tell them that morning.

I also have it that on M_W_F we can go to the park on those days. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. it all depends on the kids

I also hate being cooped up, but I do think that it is only fair that parents know where there children are at all times. I would be stressed if I did not know where my kid was at...

bice99 12:12 PM 02-28-2012

Originally Posted by SunshineMama:
Fortunately I am not bound by any licensing restrictions. I do have permission to take them on walks and transport within the neighborhood by stroller. I wonder how they would feel about an all-inclusive permission slip? I like that idea very much.

Your parents are ok with trips to the grocery store? I have never brought it up in interviews only because I have had several parents tell me that they passed up other providers because the provider (gasp) wanted to run errands with their kid. So I was always afraid to even mention it. Personally I think it's fine and a part of the learning experience- the grocery store can be lots of fun!

Thanks for your input ladies!

I don't do my huge shopping trips with kids in tow (no fun for anyone) but I do bring it up during my interviews. I try to drive my girls to school every day and sometimes we'll stop by the store, get gas or hit the bank before heading home. All of my parents LOVE this. I use it as a selling point. Look at all of the language development possible when they are exposed to more than my 4 walls all day long. We live on a pretty steep hill, so walks in the neighborhood with babies/toddlers doesn't work so well. LOL. I have had kids go to the eye dr, dentist, vet, etc with us. I tell parents I am providing a home environment and sometimes (when I cannot schedule them late), their kids either need to be able to go with me or be picked up early. I actually hauled between 3 and 5 kids with my to our local HS every day when my 9 y/o DD was Gretl in The Sound of Music last fall. The parents all picked up from the HS, which was basically on their ways home. And the kids had a million HS girls who wanted to play/sing/dance with them.

Heidi 12:15 PM 02-28-2012

at the moment I can't fit all of mine into my car, but...

I have permission to transport walking/in vehicle as part of my state's enrollment forms. I would not take on a client that checked the 'no" box.
We go for daily walks, and if I am low on kids and I want to drive somewhere, I will text parent's and let them know we are going out. Usually it's a short trip like McD's drive-thru or the library. I haven't braved the grocery store most of these yahoos..

Occasionally, I have just one little guy, and I have even taken him all the way to Madison to visit. That one I planned in advance and asked if it was ok. We even stopped at his mom's work that day (she works 45 minutes away, towards Madison), and she got to show off her little man at work (we also picked up some flowers "from" dcb).

MrsB 12:16 PM 02-28-2012

I also have an all inclusive permission slip for outings. I tell parents that if they aren't comfortable with field trips or doing on a whim outings, this is not the daycare for them. I also explain why it is so important to get approval if they are going to drop off late because no guarantee we haven't trotted off to the library. I do allow them to come find us and drop off if they choose but only if I happened to bring an extra carseat with me, but no guarantees.

I usually text or email parents of the kids that I have with me if we go somewhere so they know where we are if they decide to pick up early. I have lots of parents decide to come join us at the park on a nice day.

Another favorite outing of the kids is going to the japaneese steak house for lunch. The owner knows us well and the kids absolutley LOVE IT! They usually eat a ton there too, even veggies they dont normally eat. I think it is great to teach kids how to behave out in public. We always do this fieldtrip when we do our "manners" unit.

I do bigger field trips that I do notify the parents of, ie zoo, aquarium, science discovery center. Sometimes they like to take the day off and go too. I always tell them not to tell kids though in case we can't go.

I live outside DC, there are just too many cool museums and places to go in this area to stay home all day everyday.

SunshineMama 01:48 PM 02-28-2012

Oh my goodness how do you get the children to sit through Japanese steakhouse!?! I am not even brave enough to take my own kids

daycare 01:51 PM 02-28-2012

forget how do you get them to sit.....how do you afford the bill for that kind of food....lol

wdmmom 01:59 PM 02-28-2012

We are not authorized to transport unless we carry commercial insurance and have a commercial license.

This means no traveling by vehicle.

Any trips we do, we must be able to walk. As for trips to the park, daily walks, etc, I have the parent sign a permission slip when the start that authorizes me to take them off premises for walks, park, picnic lunches, etc.

If we go on a walk or to the park, I don't notify parents as it is right up the street and I would never do it over arrivals or departures.

If we went to a story time or a little gymnasium or something like that, I would specify a date and time and send out permission slips for that.

AfterSchoolMom 02:12 PM 02-28-2012

I'm (legally) unlicensed, so I'm not bound by restrictions as far as travel goes. I have a general permission to transport form that parents must sign in order to have their children here. I make it very clear from day one that I will not be trapped in the house day in and day out, and that I will not always be able to let them know ahead of time if we're going out. However, I am always available via cell phone, so they can call at any time even when we're out.

I have car seats and my car insurance covers passengers.

Sunchimes 02:17 PM 02-28-2012

One of the first things I tell them at the interview (right after the cats and dogs) is that I treat my kids like they are my grandkids. I don't run around a huge amount, but if I want to go somewhere, we all go. If they aren't ok with that, we aren't going to work out.

I have a slip that lets me take them in the car. Our personal agreement is that if it is around town, I don't bother letting them know. If it is out of town, I'll let them know at drop off or before. We go to the bank, library, post office, hair dresser, Walmart, etc. If I need to do more than that, we have to go north or south (35 or 55 miles) to one of the bigger towns.

I've taken them to family reunions, the state fair, parades, festivals, shopping trips, etc. The one thing I don't want to do is take them on doctor or dental visits.

The dcm with the new baby is loaning me a car seat base for the new baby. I'm just not sure that I can fit the two car seats for the older girls, plus the one for him in my Envoy. So, I may have to reduce my travelling if I can't take 3 kids. I'm going to be housebound with him for a few weeks any way.

daycare 02:27 PM 02-28-2012

Originally Posted by wdmmom:
We are not authorized to transport unless we carry commercial insurance and have a commercial license.

This means no traveling by vehicle.

Any trips we do, we must be able to walk. As for trips to the park, daily walks, etc, I have the parent sign a permission slip when the start that authorizes me to take them off premises for walks, park, picnic lunches, etc.

If we go on a walk or to the park, I don't notify parents as it is right up the street and I would never do it over arrivals or departures.

If we went to a story time or a little gymnasium or something like that, I would specify a date and time and send out permission slips for that.

is this your states reg or is it your car insurance comapny rule??

MrsB 02:35 PM 02-28-2012

Originally Posted by daycare:
forget how do you get them to sit.....how do you afford the bill for that kind of food....lol

Well one we go at lunch time, so there is usually no wait and lunch prices are cheaper. They love the fire so I can usually get them to wait patiently for the fire to come. We practice our restaurant manners here and always talk about it before we go.

I always use the 20% off coupon that comes in the mail. The kids are so little that we all share meals. So it usually costs about $30/40 dollars out the door. Which in the end I usually end up spending close to $30 at McDonalds since they each need their own happy meal and toy. I leave the option open for the parents to pitch in, which most will about $5. So sometimes I am only out $10, sometimes im out the whole $40. But it is sooooo much fun its worth it.

Now for the restaurant, some people might get upset, but like I said the owner loves us and usually gives us our own table. He said clean up all the rice on the floor is well worth it.

The kids always make his day!

Heidi 03:27 PM 02-28-2012

Originally Posted by MrsB:
Well one we go at lunch time, so there is usually no wait and lunch prices are cheaper. They love the fire so I can usually get them to wait patiently for the fire to come. We practice our restaurant manners here and always talk about it before we go.

I always use the 20% off coupon that comes in the mail. The kids are so little that we all share meals. So it usually costs about $30/40 dollars out the door. Which in the end I usually end up spending close to $30 at McDonalds since they each need their own happy meal and toy. I leave the option open for the parents to pitch in, which most will about $5. So sometimes I am only out $10, sometimes im out the whole $40. But it is sooooo much fun its worth it.

Now for the restaurant, some people might get upset, but like I said the owner loves us and usually gives us our own table. He said clean up all the rice on the floor is well worth it. The kids always make his day!

Is it like a Hibachi Grill where they cook it in front of you? There is one nearby called Ginza of Tokyo we really like.

wdmmom 06:19 PM 02-28-2012

Originally Posted by daycare:
is this your states reg or is it your car insurance comapny rule??

There is nothing specific in the regs. I'm also not registered. It is not the insurance companies regs either.

I throughly investigated the liability. If I regularly transport (say to school) and being paid for it (even it is part of the daycare) I would be operating the vehicle 'for hire'. Any accident or injury would not be covered by my personal auto policy.

I cant even imagine getting into an accident (my fault or not) and having one of ghe children be injured or worse! I dont want that burden and I would never risk losing my home or my business just to transport.

In the end, its not legal and the liability by far outweighs the benefits.

I bet several of you would be surprised if you asked your insurance agent or insurance company about transporting daycare kids.

Sunchimes 07:23 PM 02-28-2012

I pinned my agent down about that. She said that if I didn't have over 3 kids, I was covered. I should maybe ask her to write that down.

AmyLeigh 08:27 PM 02-28-2012

My contract has a transportation permission section. I have enough car safety seats (and room) for everyone. The parents know that we go to the library on Thursdays and the park at least once a week. I have to take dd to dance on Tuesday evenings. Last year we went to an organic farm once or twice a week; this year it will be to the CSA. Summertime brings outings to the public pool. I always notify for the big trips, such as to the children's museum or zoo, since they are out of town. If I need to run some errands, I usually will save it for when I have only 1 dck and will text dcm beforehand. Last time I did that, mom said that I am free to take the child with me whenever I need to.
I think we would all go stir crazy if we stayed in the house all day, every day.

Rachel 03:04 AM 02-29-2012

I'm required to tell the parents before I go out, but I don't ask them. They signed general permission at the beginning of the year. I just send a text to all my parents (and the supervisor) that we are headed to the park, and that's that.

Countrygal 04:25 AM 02-29-2012

I have a general transportation form, like most of the others. But if we are going on a field trip, I try to let the parents know ahead of time. Sometimes it's just a word at drop-off "it's a beautiful day, I think we'll try to head to the library".....

We haven't attempted a big field trip yet, but are trying to get one organized. I tend to lean toward the "natural" things like State Park trails and State Historical Sites. We have so many within an hours drive! But they are definitely for summer up here!

As for car insurance, it's one time I'm glad I actually have an agent to get answers for me. He found out for me, but every auto insurance company is different, so you have to look into it with your own insurance company.

Meyou 05:17 AM 02-29-2012

I have a general transportation and field trip form as well. It allows me to take the kids where I want without notice unless the trip affects normal naptime. We travel on the bus alot, by foot and occasionally by car but that's normally a big trip with parent volunteers.

Michelle 06:59 AM 02-29-2012

At sign up we talk about field trips and I will always write in my daily report where we are going , when and what time we are getting back.
I would always want to know where my kid is.
I supply all the car seats and we have a blast!
We have been to Disneyland, Knotts, water parks,the zoo, and of course the park and Aquarium etc.
The kids love it and going on field trips gives us a lot of educational advantages.
How awesome it is to read about sharks then go to the Aquarium to pet one and see the look on parents faces when kid brag about petting a shark!

Lilbutterflie 07:17 AM 02-29-2012

I am legally unlicensed, so I don't have to worry about the licensing regs. I have an all inclusive travel permission slip the parents sign when they enroll. I always call or text the parents if we are going somewhere outside of the neighborhood so that they know where their child is at all times.

Mommy2One 12:47 PM 02-29-2012

Originally Posted by SunshineMama:
I wonder how they would feel about an all-inclusive permission slip? I like that idea very much.

I have never brought it up in interviews only because I have had several parents tell me that they passed up other providers because the provider (gasp) wanted to run errands with their kid. So I was always afraid to even mention it. Personally I think it's fine and a part of the learning experience- the grocery store can be lots of fun!

As a parent, I would be somewhat uncomfortable with a blanket permission slip if the provider planned to use it to go on field trips on a whim with no notification. Not that I don't want my daughter going on field trips - just the opposite - I love them because she gets all excited and has a great time. I would just want to know where and when just in case something happens. What if there's a car accident on the way there/back and the provider is injured and unable to contact me or put the authorities in contact with me? What if they're at Disney or another large, anonymous location and the provider has a heart attack or something? Basically, I want to be able to track down my child in an emergency. I suppose any of those things could happen when she's with me or my husband but I figure at least then they have my address/license information and it would be fairly easily to look through my phone and find my husband/mom/etc. [And the police will do this - I lost my phone during senior prom and my poor mother got a phone call that started "This is the *** County police department, did you have a son or daughter at prom this evening?"] That's my gut reaction. I guess logically if something happened, your family/husbands would be contacted and they could check the daycare files, etc. but I just feel better knowing where she's at.

Regarding the errands (sorry, I can't figure out that multi-quote thing!): My personal guess is that the parents were picturing a full day of running errands - an hour at the grocery store to do your weekly shopping, then a trip to the sporting good store for new soccer cleats for Junior, followed by the craft store for art supplies, then a stop at the UPS store to mail some packages, oh and drug store to pick up hubby's prescription and while we're out we may as well...

That doesn't sound fun or beneficial to the kids at all. A quick trip to the grocery store, especially one that includes some counting, colors, produce identification, etc. wouldn't bother me a bit.

daycare 12:52 PM 02-29-2012

Originally Posted by Mommy2One:
As a parent, I would be somewhat uncomfortable with a blanket permission slip if the provider planned to use it to go on field trips on a whim with no notification. Not that I don't want my daughter going on field trips - just the opposite - I love them because she gets all excited and has a great time. I would just want to know where and when just in case something happens. What if there's a car accident on the way there/back and the provider is injured and unable to contact me or put the authorities in contact with me? What if they're at Disney or another large, anonymous location and the provider has a heart attack or something? Basically, I want to be able to track down my child in an emergency. I suppose any of those things could happen when she's with me or my husband but I figure at least then they have my address/license information and it would be fairly easily to look through my phone and find my husband/mom/etc. [And the police will do this - I lost my phone during senior prom and my poor mother got a phone call that started "This is the *** County police department, did you have a son or daughter at prom this evening?"] That's my gut reaction. I guess logically if something happened, your family/husbands would be contacted and they could check the daycare files, etc. but I just feel better knowing where she's at.

Regarding the errands (sorry, I can't figure out that multi-quote thing!): My personal guess is that the parents were picturing a full day of running errands - an hour at the grocery store to do your weekly shopping, then a trip to the sporting good store for new soccer cleats for Junior, followed by the craft store for art supplies, then a stop at the UPS store to mail some packages, oh and drug store to pick up hubby's prescription and while we're out we may as well...

That doesn't sound fun or beneficial to the kids at all. A quick trip to the grocery store, especially one that includes some counting, colors, produce identification, etc. wouldn't bother me a bit.

I am in your boat too..

We do a ton of field trips and I have an across the board one time permission slip. However, my parents know weeks and weeks in advance about the field trips that require transportation by vehicle.

When we go on a field trip I send out a text to all parents we are off.....when we arrive I snap a group shot standing in front of where ever we are and say We arrived and are ready for fun.

I do the same when we leave to return home. Maybe I am overboard, but all of my parents always know where their child is at all times of the day.

As I parent, I would want to know where my child is at all times of the day as well. I want to know that they are always safe.

wdmmom 12:55 PM 02-29-2012

Originally Posted by Lilbutterflie:
I am legally unlicensed, so I don't have to worry about the licensing regs. I have an all inclusive travel permission slip the parents sign when they enroll. I always call or text the parents if we are going somewhere outside of the neighborhood so that they know where their child is at all times.

It shouldn't matter what the states regs are, it should matter whether your insurance company will accept responsibility if there is an accident while you are transporting children as part of your busines..

MrsB 03:48 PM 02-29-2012

I totally get why some parents would feel this way too. Thats why this daycare isnt for them. Although, I do teach counting, colors, letters, in the daycare setting. I choose to focus more on other skills like attention span, self help, appropriate behavior in appropriate places, holding hands, safety in parking lots, manners, confidence, etc. In my experience, I can help more effectively out in public and I can get a few errands done at the same time. Granted we still stick to our eating/nap schedules sometimes we will be out 3 hours at a time and the kids LOVE it. None of my parents have ever taken issue with me running errands and I always get compliments when I am out with them about how well behaved and polite they are. Parents compliment on how much the kids talk about how fun it is. I only do this about once a month.

There is a difference between what I do and toting the kids around on leashes while I get some errands done with my phone to my ear the whole time.

Now for the safety aspect. I have a firstaid kid (more like box) and it is has a notebook full of emergency procedures, my info and health history and each childs emergency card/health history.

Crazy8 07:18 PM 02-29-2012

Originally Posted by wdmmom:
There is nothing specific in the regs. I'm also not registered. It is not the insurance companies regs either.

I throughly investigated the liability. If I regularly transport (say to school) and being paid for it (even it is part of the daycare) I would be operating the vehicle 'for hire'. Any accident or injury would not be covered by my personal auto policy.

I cant even imagine getting into an accident (my fault or not) and having one of ghe children be injured or worse! I dont want that burden and I would never risk losing my home or my business just to transport.

In the end, its not legal and the liability by far outweighs the benefits.

I bet several of you would be surprised if you asked your insurance agent or insurance company about transporting daycare kids.

I was told the same thing about transporting daycare kids. I don't do it - AT ALL. I actually find in most interviews parents do not want their child transported by car. I'm glad we have a park in our neighborhood that I can walk to!

Tags:field trip policy, field trips, permission slip, transportation permission slip

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