A child care contract will eliminate a lot of grief in the end run and provide clarification of duties and expectations. Below are some important items to include when drawing up your child care contract:
1. Be very specific about compensation and benefits:
- Pay Rates: Be very explicit about the rate of pay per hour, per week, or per month, and the frequency of pay (e.g. $1500 on the 15th and 30th of every month). Also detail if you will be deducting taxes and if so, what taxes you will be deducting.
- Room and board: Be very detailed about benefits (such as utilities) and how you will share your home. Will the child care provider have his/her own telephone line? Will you provide a food stipend? Access to your car?
- Spell out your policies about sick days, holidays and amount of paid vacation. How much notice must your child care provider give you for upcoming vacation?
- Will you be providing or contributing to health insurance benefits?
2. Get the work schedule straight:
- How many hours per week will the child care provider work?
- How many hours will the child care provider work each day?
- List it days the child care provider has off.
- How much will you pay for overtime?
- Are there penalties (pay deductions) for tardiness?
3. Be very clear about responsibilities:
Be very specific about the duties you expect your child care provider to perform. For example, do not write: “Laundry”. Instead write: “Children’s clothes and sheets laundered weekly”. Do not write: “Take children to gymnastics and soccer”. Instead write: "Take Sally to ballet on Thursdays at 4pm" and "Take John to Soccer practice on Fridays at 3pm”.
4. Be specific about house rules. Are visitors allowed? During working hours? Is smoking or drinking allowed? Are there rules for play dates?
5. Make clear your parenting philosophies and be very specific. How will you handle toilet training or temper tantrums? Be very clear about your rules and views about discipline, sleep, nutrition, hygiene, and safety and be very detailed.
6. In case of emergency: Always have an "in case of emergency" sheet available. Provide emergency contacts. Make sure the child care provider is aware of your family emergency plan. Also make sure that the child care provider has a letter which authorizes him or her to take the child to the emergency room or pediatrician.
7. Exit strategy: Be clear about how and when you will review the child care provider’s performance, give raises, or terminate employment. Make clear the amount of notice (weeks or months) in writing the child care provider must give you if they would like to terminate services and vice versa.
For more information about In-Home daycare, please see my article In-Home and Family Daycare.
