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A contract is defined as a meeting of minds between two persons whereby one binds himself, with respect to the other, to give something or to render some service. Everything must be put in writing so that details of the services should not be misinterpreted or misunderstood. This is what daycare centers should have to be able to execute a service well defined that both parties, childcare provider and the parents or guardians, may clearly know.

A contract that is comprehensive and infallible should be well drafted and this is a tool that a daycare business can utilize to protect itself from confusion and future transgressions when the business is already operating. It is also proved that daycare centers that have a foolproof contract have saved them from potential grief. This is important to know because if you want to establish a daycare business, you must remember that you will be taking care and responsibility of many children and this is such a sensitive cause.

What should a daycare contract stipulates
It is essential that when you draft a contract, you clearly set out the terms and conditions that apply when parents hire your services, the policies that must be religiously abided, procedures, and charging. Simply put, your contract must comprehensively state who are the parties involved, what services your business can and will render, at what price the services will be charged, duration of the contract, and how the stated services will be executed. Your contract should be clear and scrupulous to avoid misconceptions. This can also help you avoid complaints from parents who may not have understood your terms clearly.

Knowing what a contract must stipulate is important when you are drafting it. Initially, your contract must be based on your company’s mission. The specifics on what enrolments forms should you require, the number of days or hours that care will be provided, the needed supplies, and your policies on trial period and termination of services. In some cases, there are children who by some reasons can not adapt to the daycare environment and parents do have any choice but to opt out from the contract. This should be well taken care of in your contract.

Other important details that are often missed out when drafting a contract for daycare include: opening or operating hours, penalties for late payers, holiday closures, maximum number of children catered, ratio of staff to child, insurance, and license. Having knowledge on these details would save you from potential chaos.

Having specified your policies on these details, you can now draft your payment conditions. Spell out the particulars on how much you would charge, when the payment is due, what services are covered, non-attendance, onset of holidays, modes of payment and to whom payments should be given, your stringent policy on late fees, rate policy, and deposits or reservations terms. Detailing out on this matter can unbelievably save you from trouble! Money can be such a stressful issue between childcare providers and parents.

You can also include a general section in your contract that deals on matters pertaining to different rooms, programs offered, policies on why toys should be left at home, meals, changing of nappies, and policies on drop off-pick up routines. Some contracts may also incorporate your behaviour policy. This indicates what you do and what you don’t in certain situations. In toilet training for example, you may point out that parents’ role working together with your staff is really important.

A usually recurring and considerable big problem experienced in perhaps any daycare center is illness. Be clear in your policy for sickness and health of the children you care for. You surely do not want to be blamed for a child who goes sick while at your care, do you? Your policy on this matter should indicate the actions that you will employ when specific signs of illness will be observed. Naturally, having a contagious child roaming around your daycare center should not be the case. State that you will inform parents when a child is sick and that the child should be immediately picked up at a certain time frame. You should have a policy on medication administration for this including parents signing out a form.

Communication is a vital aspect in the relationship of the parents and the daycare provider. It is then important that you specify policies on how you could have an openline communication with parents and when meetings should be conducted. You might consider scheduling a regular chat with parents every night or an appointment may also be encouraged as needed for a more in-depth conversation about the child’s wellbeing. Another effective way to create a healthy communication line with parents is through the conduct of annual meetings. Doing this can patch up transgressions as soon as possible and can bring a deeper understanding of how each parties feel.

Being knowledgeable on what your contract should and must consist will save you from a lot of trouble. The contract will be an evidence that you have been specific in how your daycare center works in the first place.

Tuition rates for your daycare center: Ways in how you can institute
How much do you have and should charge parents who will hire your childcare services? There is this most important factor to consider—it would be on how much time parents want to leave their child for care.

Here are ways on how you could set up your pricing:

* Research on current trend in pricing. Know how much other daycare centers are charging. The internet is one effective way of doing this purpose. You can surf for how much daycare centers are charging parents. You may also go directly to daycare centers in your area and ask how much they are charging. This could be unethical to do sometimes because you are a competitor and you wouldn’t expect them to instantly divulge you their rates. You can pretend though that you are a parent who is just getting price quotations from different daycare centers. Your rates should at least be at par with the charging of daycare centers nearby you.

* Evaluate what programs your daycare center is offering that are unique from others. This can be a basis of how much you could charge.

* Based on your research, you can then establish a tuition rate for your own daycare center.

Remember though that your rate no matter how high or low should never ever sacrifice quality of service. With this, you can expect more business!

See: How to start a daycare business

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There are many things to consider once you have your home daycare service business off the ground. Operations and marketing is one thing however one should consider the human aspect of daycare service. There will be times when there would be disagreements or complaints from customer. There also possible accidents and liabilities that would need resolution. I have learned in the years of doing home daycare service that there should be a way to protect myself and my business from these liabilities.

There is a necessity to have a home daycare contract. This contract protects you and your business and allows coverage regarding arrangements on childcare. Drafting one can take time and sometimes be frustrating but in the end it can save you and your business.

So what should your contract have? You may want to list down certain things and if possible get legal advice from an attorney.

Your home daycare service can have the following:

OPERATING POLICIES:

• Operation Schedule
• Holiday Schedules
• Procedures for drop-off and pick-up
• Registration Fees
• Late Charges
• Payment Schedules
• Payment Methods
• Requirements for Admission
• Contract Termination Policies

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

• Disaster emergency procedures
• Closure in severe weather conditions or calamities
• Procedures on possible suspicion of child abuse or neglect
• Medical Emergencies
• Medication Procedures
• Policies on additional medical expenses that may arise

DAY TO DAY CHILDCARE

• Food Arrangement
• Nap Time
• Infant Provisions
• Field trips and outdoor activities
• Extended Care

These are just the basics of what should be included in your home daycare contract.

 You should explain in detail all necessary procedures and policies that your daycare service will provide. It should provide a clear cut detail on what you will be doing in specific cases and all your responsibilities. You should also indicate what the responsibilities of the parents, such as pick are up and drop off, medication and other relevant information needed for the care of their child.

 Having a comprehensive contract will ensure successful operations on your part. You should discuss with the parents their responsibilities and the scope of your job. Make sure that they understand completely your role and what specific services your daycare service provides. This will avoid any misunderstandings and wrong assumptions to the job that you are required to do. You do not want to be pointing fingers with the parents incase something goes wrong. You should sit down with the parents to explain everything in the contract.

 Be very elaborate on what your role will be in case of any emergencies. Be sure that they will give you all the necessary information that is needed in taking care of their child such as special instructions if the child has some medical conditions or if there are certain things that the child is not suppose to take. Any medical history relevant to childcare should be explained by the parents and if they do not do so, make sure you indicate that you will not be held liable.

 Your contact must also be clear on the expenses involved in the care of their child. Make sure that the due dates and rates of the services are well in order and documented so that each party is aware of their responsibilities. You do not want to be arguing that you did not specify what the due dates were and what additional expenses that was incurred. I cannot express enough the need to be as detailed as possible. Include details on your policy regarding any late fees, reservation fees and deposit procedures and rates to other things that need to be considered.

 You should also include the day to day and common procedures in your service. You can indicate what type of food, information and daily activities you plan to provide. You should note that as much as possible do not let the parents bring toys from home. Include the things that you are willing to do and what you will not be doing.

 Don’t assume anything. You should indicate if there is specific attire that you prefer kids to be wearing to help you with taking care of them. You should be thorough in discussing all these details. The contract is necessary since, yes you will be talking to parents about all this, some of them may forget that you have discussed it with them and having it down on paper can prove to be useful to remind them that everything you have discussed is right there.

 You can list down everything you feel necessary in your contract. Talk to parents and friends if you have no idea what else to include in your contract. You can also ask your lawyer to add to the list that you have already put down. They will have some experience on the usual troubles and complaints that happen between parents and daycare service. You contract can change dramatically over time however as much as possible have everything down before you even start.

 Have a draft of the contract always ready. When a parent inquires of your service you can discuss it with them and if they want anything added you will be able to modify your contract as needed. Be sure that any changes you make you allow your lawyer to have a look and the other party. You do not want to go into a binding agreement only to regret it in the end.

 Remember the primary goal of your contract is to protect your business. Take your time to think about all the aspects that’s involved in your service. Don’t be too hasty. Remember childcare can be a complicated task more difficult than putting up your business. There are a lot of unforeseen things that can happen and you may want to think out of the box and be prepared for anything and make sure you are covered by your contract.

 Finally be sure that the parents sign the contract before taking their child. Have all involved individuals sign so that the agreement can be finalized.

See: How to start a home daycare business

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