• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • My account
  • Cart
  • Secondary Navigation Social Media Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
 The Super Teacher

The Super Teacher

Supercharge your teaching.

  • Freebies
  • Shop
    • Christian Resources
    • Gross Motor
    • Preschool and Kindergarten
      • Best Sellers
      • All About Me
      • Alphabet
      • Bible
      • Circle Time
      • Coloring Pages
      • Colors
      • Handwriting
      • Health and Safety
      • Holidays and Seasons
      • Interactive Notebooks
      • Letters
      • Literacy
      • Math
      • Science
    • Third Grade
      • Math
    • Teachers Pay Teachers Store
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Blog
    • Daycare
      • Daycare Spaces
      • Forms and Templates
      • Managing Money
      • Meals
      • More Daycare Posts
      • Policies and Handbook
      • Schedules
      • Starting a Daycare
    • Elementary
      • Third Grade
    • Preschool
      • Classroom Decor
      • Colors
      • Fine Motor Skills
      • Health
      • Literacy
      • Math
      • Science
      • Themes
        • Community Helpers
        • Seasons
    • Teaching Life

Policies You Need In Your Parent Handbook

Shannon | No Comments

Have you ever been the daycare parent running one kid to preschool, one kid to daycare, commuting to work, and rushing back to get kids before your 9 hours were up?  I have, and it’s not easy.  So I empathize with my daycare parents.  BUT, I still need daycare policies in and parent handbook and so do you.  Keep reading to learn more!

Policies You Need In Your Parent Handbook

Why You Need a Parent Handbook

Set Limits

Unfortunately, people will more than likely take advantage of you soon or later.  You might have some awesome parents that will become good friends.  I guarantee you’ll also end up with at least a couple that will try to take advantage of your business.  A handbook lets parents know what you expect from them and exactly what services you do and don’t provide.

Cover Your Butt

So write up a parent handbook that includes all of your policies and give parents a copy when they interview.  Put a page in your contract that says they read the parent handbook and make them sign it.

A written record of your daycare policies gives you an out when you want need to terminate a family.  It also gives you something to fall back on if parents are disrespecting you or your business.  Read more about avoiding conflict with daycare parents here.

General Policies

I started my own daycare business with little mentoring support.  Since then, I’ve met some great mentors and done some advising of my own.  I also belong to some awesome daycare groups on Facebook.  These suggestions come from all of my experiences and those of my friends and acquaintances all bundled up together.

Sign In and Sign Out

Most food programs and state assistance programs require this, anyway.  A sign in sheet does not have to be complicated.  Grab a clipboard from the dollar store and keep it by your door with a pen.  This is going to give you a record in case someone argues when it comes time to pay up.  Get my free editable PDF sign in sheet below!

download

Sickness Policy

Parents will try to sneak in sick kids and whine about having to stay home when their kid has a fever.  Better safe than sorry, though!  Most daycare policies are 24 hours fever free to return to care.  For an infection, 24 hours on an antibiotic before returning to care.

Nap Time

When you are severely outnumbered by children, nap time is necessary for recuperating in order to make it through the rest of the day!  Tell parents and kids that if they don’t want to nap, that’s fine.  However, make it a rule that the kids stay on their mat (or an area you specify).

Read more about Why Your Kids Need to Nap – And How to Get Them To Do It.

Clothes

Make sure parents know to send their child in weather-appropriate clothes and shoes.  You’d think this is common sense, but I see this complaint pretty frequently in the daycare groups I belong to.  Also, have parents send a change of clothes for each kid to keep at your home.

Payment Policies

Minimum Days Per Week

Almost every daycare I know of has this policy.  If you’re counting on daycare for income to pay bills, it’s a must.  A kid that comes twice a week means loss of a potential kid who could come 3 or 5 days a week.  Don’t feel bad about charging 3+ days a week even if they attend less – it’s a very common business practice.

Late Pickup Fees

Get your kids’ schedules ahead of time and make the parents stick to them.  It’s so frustrating to sit around waiting for someone to be dropped off.  Late pickup is even worse because you can’t go about the rest of your life when you’re still on the clock.  Set a fee per minute or quarter hour or however you want to do it – but make sure you have one.  I had one parent that would show up HOURS late giving me a lame excuse.  Trust me on this.

Late Payment Fees

I know adulting and balancing a checkbook and all that is no fun.  Repeat after me: Not my problem.  In other words, “I’m sorry that you’re having trouble this week.  Your payment is still due on Friday and I’m afraid Johnny won’t be able to stay until your bill is paid.”

Upfront Payment

This is the biggie.  If you try to be the nice person and let someone run up a balance, you’ll probably never see the majority of that money.  Just. Don’t. Do. It.  Unless you really like the person.  Then, maybe.  But only if you do it as a gift, because otherwise it could ruin your friendship.

Optional Policies

Vacation Time and Holidays

A lot of providers include in their contract that parents pay 2 weeks of vacation and major holidays as if normal daycare days.  As a provider, it shows that you take your business seriously.  It is absolutely acceptable to have a policy in place to cover your own sick days, vacation time, and holidays, just like any other job.

Outside Toys and Food

This one is important to me, but I know some other providers don’t care.  Typically when I see children arriving with food or drink, it’s something loaded with sugar.  Toys that are brought from home are almost always fought over.  I really prefer things from home to stay at home.

Creating Your Handbook

Using a Template

Because I created my handbook from a template I received through a mentor, I can’t share it with you.  Basically, it’s just a long list of policies!  You may be able to find a template through a mentor, state start up program, or online.

Creating your Own Parent Handbook

Start a new Microsoft Word document.  Make the front page a short, warm welcome letter to your program.

Add policies as you think of them.  Cover everything from payments to what time you open and close and what kids can leave in their cubbies.  Write in terms that are easy to read and understand.  Then when you’re done you can go back and organize into sections if you need to.

Daycare Parent Handbook

I hope that this information was helpful for you!  Do you have any questions about daycare policies, parent handbooks? Did I forget a policy that that needs mentioning in this post? Use the box below to comment on this post now!

 

← Previous Post
How to Easily Teach Kitchen Safety in Preschool
Next Post →
How to Avoid Conflict with Daycare Parents

About Shannon

I am a preschool teacher and home daycare provider. I'm on a mission to raise intelligent and respectable children, and help others do the same!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Here are 6 fun and low prep activities for your pr Here are 6 fun and low prep activities for your preschoolers to enjoy while learning their colors! 🖍️

Get those little brains and fingers working with coloring pages, puzzles, and fine motor skills practice.  They won't even know they're learning!

Click the link in profile to go to the blog and grab your free download! 

#teachersofinstagram #earlyyears #teacher #playschool #toddlerlife #toddleractivities #preschooler #momlife #preschoolathome #montessoriathome #teachers #finemotorskills  #teachersfollowteachers #teaching #childdevelopment #playmatters #family i #playandlearn  #preschoollife #preschoolers
Here's a little sale to help you prep for back to Here's a little sale to help you prep for back to school! 🥳

Use the code BTS23 to save 25% on EVERY RESOURCE in my shop!

Shop the blog: https://thesuperteacher.com/shop/
Shop my TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Super-Teacher

Happy Shopping!

#tptsale #tptstore #thesuperteacher #backtoschool #preschoolteacher #elementaryteacher
#teacher #teacherlife #teacherthings
It's Kid's Music Day! How do you encourage your li It's Kid's Music Day! How do you encourage your littles to appreciate music? Are they taking lessons? Do you sing and dance around the house with them? Have you taught them all of your favorite childhood songs? What's a favorite of yours? Let me know in the comments below.

 #kidsmusicday2022 #kidsmusicday #KidsMusicDay #thesuperteacher
Today is World Teachers Day! No matter whether you Today is World Teachers Day! No matter whether you are teaching your infants how to sleep the night, your toddlers how to toddle, your preschoolers how to school or anything further up the ladder. What you do daily is so important to their young lives! Cheer yourself on! You're doing hard work and you should be so proud! #WorldTeachersDay #worldteachersday #WorldTeachersDay2022 #worldteachersday2022 #thesuperteacher
Summer is the best time for fresh eating! ⁠ ⁠ Summer is the best time for fresh eating! ⁠
⁠
Healthy eating habits should start young.  Teaching children what foods are good for them and which foods should be eaten in moderation could help them be healthy for a lifetime. ⁠
⁠
Grab this FREE printable to use with your preschoolers today!
My biggest supporter ❤️⁠ ⁠ My husband and My biggest supporter ❤️⁠
⁠
My husband and I have been together since we were 14!  We are blessed to have found each other so young and seem to have a bond that not many other couples share.  He listens to me ramble on about whatever thing I may be passionate about each week, and is always there to lift me up when I'm down.⁠
⁠
Tell me about your supporters in the comments!  I know that being a mom or teacher are HARD and stressful and we all need someone to keep us sane.
Circle Time - Love it or hate it? ⁠ ⁠ I love c Circle Time - Love it or hate it? ⁠
⁠
I love circle time!  A part of why circle time is so enjoyable for me is that my kids and I have a great routine. ⁠
⁠
Read about it through the link in my bio!
Summer is almost here!⁠ ⁠ The first day of sum Summer is almost here!⁠
⁠
The first day of summer isn't for a couple weeks yet, but we are loving the warm weather around here. ⁠
⁠
Here's a FREE cut and paste worksheet to get your little ones talking about seasons! Grab the link in my bio!
Follow on Instagram

Copyright 2022 · The Super Teacher

Isla Theme by Code + Coconut

 

Loading Comments...